Racial differences in the systemic inflammatory response to prostate cancer

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Systemic inflammation's role in prostate cancer susceptibility is unclear.
• Prostate cancer progression may be linked to systemic inflammation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between systemic inflammation markers and prostate cancer risk.
• To analyze neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and monocyte-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) trajectories in relation to prostate cancer incidence.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal analysis of over 517 prostate cancer cases and 373 controls from a cohort of 10,000+ men.
• Utilized multilevel, multivariable models to assess NLR and MLR trajectories over 1-18 years follow-up.
• Examined race-specific differences and associations with cancer aggressiveness.

Main Results:

• No significant overall differences in NLR or MLR trajectories between prostate cancer cases and controls.
• Significant interaction between race and case/control status for NLR trajectories.
• White men showed consistently higher NLR and MLR in controls versus cases, especially for non-aggressive prostate cancer.
• No apparent case-control differences in NLR/MLR trajectories among Black men.

Conclusions:

• Systemic inflammation markers (NLR, MLR) may be associated with prostate cancer risk in white men, particularly for non-aggressive disease.
• Monitoring NLR and MLR trajectories after a negative prostate biopsy might aid risk assessment in white men.
• Further research is needed to clarify the role of systemic inflammation in prostate cancer susceptibility across different racial groups.