Prostate cancer in patients from rural and suburban areas--PSA value, Gleason score and presence of metastases in bone scan.

INTRODUCTION Prostate cancer is the second most common neoplasm among men both worldwide and in Poland. In prostate cancer, bone metastasis is related to a poorer prognosis. A diagnosis of metastatic bone disease is important in prostate cancer patients prior to therapy. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) serum value is used both as a screening tool and for staging of prostate cancer. AIM To evaluate whether there is a link between symptoms presented by patients, pain in particular, and the presence, number and location of bone metastases as assessed by bone scan scintigraphy in concordance with PSA values and Gleason scores. MATERIAL A group of 186 patients (aged: 68.38±6.16) diagnosed with prostate cancer, from rural and suburban areas of Małopolska province, that was directed for bone scan scintigraphy to the Nuclear Medicine Dept, John Paul II Hospital in Kraków. METHODS Analysis of all laboratory findings (including PSA value) and a biopsy were performed. Then, bone scan scintigraphy was done with the use of methylene disphosphonate (MDP) labeled with Tc-99m. RESULTS In patients with a Gleason value≤7 and a PSA value≤20 ng/ml, the cutoff value for a negative bone scan with a confidence interval of 0.95 was established at a PSA value below 10 ng/ml (p<0.01). Correlations were established between PSA value and presence of metastases in bone scan (r=0.45, p=0.05), the number of metastases (r=0.66, p<0.01), and their presence in particular body regions. CONCLUSIONS The correlation between PSA value and both presence and number of metastases confirms the usefulness of bone scan scintigraphy in prostate cancer staging. The cutoff value for negative bone scan with a 95% confidence interval was established at PSA=10 ng/ml.