Cancer of the prostate and aging: an autopsy study in black men from Washington, DC, and selected African cities

Age-related changes of arteries, veins, glands, and stroma in the prostate of black men from Washington, DC, and from Ibadan, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana, West AFrica, were studied in a total of 795 consecutive, unselected prostate specimens removed at autopsy during a 7-year period (1973-1980). Except for age group 80 and over, aging changes in the prostate were more severe in all age groups in black men from Washington, DC, than in black men from Ibadan and Accra (P less than 0.01). However, when the intensity of age-dependent alterations was compared in either US or African black men with carcinoma and with no carcinoma, no significant differences were found. These findings do not support the idea that the aging process per se increases susceptibility to cancer.