Age and pathology of prostate cancer in South-Southern Nigeria; is there a pattern?

BACKGROUND Prostate cancer is a common health problem world wide. Age is its strong risk factor. OBJECTIVE To study the relationship between age at presentation and pathological features of prostate cancer in patients with the disease in South-Southern Nigeria. MATERIALS AND METHODS Pathology slides of prostate specimens and clinical data were studied. Those with histological diagnosis of prostate cancer had these features analysed statistically. RESULTS Three hundred and eighty three cases of adenocarcinoma of the prostate were studied. A falling mean age at presentation was observed. Observed pathological features had no statististically significant variation with ages. Poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma was the most common variant. CONCLUSION The mean age at presentation of prostate cancer patients in Port Harcourt is decreasing. Gleason's score and level of cellular differentiation of the tumours have no statistically significant relationship with ages of the patients. These observations and the preponderance of poorly differentiated variant of the disease in Nigerian patients merit further studies.