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Updated: May 20, 2026
07:25
A Bioluminescent and Fluorescent Orthotopic Syngeneic Murine Model of Androgen-dependent and Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer
Published on: March 6, 2018
Is there a link between BPH and prostate cancer?
R T M Chang1, Roger Kirby, B J Challacombe
1Guy's Hospital, London.
The Practitioner
|July 17, 2012
Summary
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is common in older men and often causes lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). While BPH doesn't cause prostate cancer, it may increase the likelihood of detecting incidental prostate cancers.
Area of Science:
- Urology
- Oncology
- Geriatrics
Background:
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is highly prevalent in older men, affecting over 70% of those above 70.
- Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in UK men, presenting asymptomatically, with LUTS, or metastasis.
- Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are predominantly caused by BPH, not typically prostate cancer.
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the relationship between BPH and prostate cancer.
- To differentiate clinical presentations of BPH and prostate cancer.
- To inform diagnostic strategies for these common conditions in aging men.
Main Methods:
- Review of clinical presentations of prostate cancer and BPH.
- Evaluation of diagnostic tools including Digital Rectal Examination (DRE) and Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) testing.
- Analysis of risk factors for prostate cancer, including age and family history.
Main Results:
- BPH is the primary cause of LUTS in older men; prostate cancer is rarely the direct cause.
- DRE and PSA testing are key in differentiating BPH from prostate cancer.
- A nodular abnormality on DRE has a 50% chance of indicating prostate cancer on biopsy.
- Normal PSA, PSA density, and DRE provide confidence in excluding clinically significant prostate cancer.
Conclusions:
- BPH is not a risk factor for prostate cancer but frequently coexists.
- Age and family history are the strongest predictors of prostate cancer risk.
- BPH may increase the detection rate of incidental prostate cancers rather than causing them.
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