[Predictive value of the asymptomatic prostatic inflammation in the development of prostate cancer]

Several studies have tried to show a link between inflammation and cancer. In prostate cancer (PCa) development, this question is still not completely elucidated. The aim of the study was to investigate, whether the presence of inflammation in the first series of prostate biopsies was a factor of risk.

In this retrospective study, we examined prostate biopsy specimen of 220 consecutive patients, who had undergone repeat prostate biopsies in our department. The first screening round was performed between 2000 and 2005. These first prostate biopsies were examined by two pathologists blinded to the patient's follow-up. Inflammation and several histological criterions were evaluated: acute/chronic and focal/diffuse inflammation, atrophy, high grade PIN (HGPIN) and ASAP. We compared PCa incidences rates (IR) for the different histologic markers using chi(2) analysis and estimated the relative risk (RR) of PCa.

Two hundred and one patients were included definitively with a median follow-up of 2.1 years (42 days - 8.9 years, period between the first and the last biopsy). One hundred and twenty-six patients (62.7%) were identified with inflammation in the first biopsies (inflammatory group [IG]). Ninety-seven patients (48.3%) had PCa, 58 from the IG. PCa IR did not differ significantly between patients with or without inflammation (RR: 0.9, p=0.6).

According to these data, the presence and type of histological inflammation on initial prostate biopsies did not seem to be a risk factor for the development of PCa.