Evidence has supported obesity as a risk factor for both benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa). Obesity causes several mechanisms including increased intra-abdominal pressure, altered endocrine status, increased sympathetic nervous activity, increased inflammation process, and oxidative stress, all of which are favorable in the development of BPH. In PCa, there are several different mechanisms, such as decreased serum testosterone, peripheral aromatization of androgens, insulin resistance, and altered adipokine secretion caused by inflammation, which may precipitate the development of and even cause high-grade PCa. The role of obesity in prostatitis still remains unclear. A greater understanding of the pathogenesis of prostate disease and adiposity could allow the development of new therapeutic markers, prognostic indicators, and drug targets. This review was made to help better understanding of the association between central obesity and prostate diseases, such as prostatitis, BPH, and PCa.

Non-communicable diseases, including cancer, start to become more common in Indonesia. According to the government statement, incidence of malignant diseases increased annually up to 8% in the last decade and these diseases become the seventh leading cause of death in Indonesia. On the basis of the latest Globocan report on cancer incidence in Indonesia, prostate cancer ranks sixth; followed by bladder (12th) and kidney (18th). More than half of patients with kidney cancer are diagnosed in the advanced stage. Besides renal cell carcinoma, there are significant number of people affected with squamous cell and transitional cell carcinoma because of kidney stones. Radical nephrectomy or cytoreductive nephrectomy was the primary treatment, mostly done as an open procedure. Transitional cell carcinoma is the commonest histology type in bladder cancer cases followed by squamous cell carcinoma, which almost always related to bladder stones. Unfortunately, >70% of our cases were diagnosed with muscle invasive bladder cancer, and ∼60% of these patients refused further radical treatment. Incidence of prostate cancer is increasing rapidly and it becomes the third most common cancer in men. However, most of our patients are diagnosed in the advanced stage. Radical prostatectomy or external beam radiotherapy is the treatment of choice in localized disease. Nearly 40% of the elderly patients are treated with primary androgen deprivation therapy. Therefore, it requires more research by the Indonesian urologists and other healthcare providers to diagnose these cancers in earlier stage as well as community education for prevention.

BackgroundTo investigate the relationship between age, prostate specific antigen (PSA), and prostate volume (PV) in Indonesian men with histologically proven benign prostatic hyperplasia.MethodsData were generated from our BPH database from June 1994 until December 2013. Subjects were men with a minimum age of 40 years with chief complaint of LUTS or urinary retention, diagnosed with BPH. All patients underwent TRUS-guided prostate biopsy. Patients with PSA level >10 ng/mL were excluded from the study to exclude the possibility of occult prostate cancer. PV was measured with TRUS. Appropriate statistical tests were employed for data analysis.ResultsIn all, 1638 patients were enrolled in our study. There was a statistically significant difference in PSA (P = 0.03) and PV (P < 0.0001) between age groups. Overall correlation between age, PSA, and PV were: i). Age and PV (r = 0.12, P < 0.0001); ii). Age and PSA (r = 0.07, P = 0.008); iii). PSA and PV (r = 0.26, P < 0.0001). Subgroup analysis in terms of indwelling catheter use versus without: i). Age 66.09 ± 8 years versus 65.38 ± 7.66 years (P = 0.158); ii). PSA 4.93 ± 2.62 ng/mL versus 4.68 ± 2.82 ng/mL (P = 0.038); iii). PV 47.58 ± 21.33 mL versus 41.43 ± 20.55 mL (P < 0.0001). Correlation between age, PSA, and PV in patients were similar in patients with and without indwelling catheter.ConclusionIn Indonesian men with biopsy-proven BPH, both PV and PSA increased with ageing. Prostate volume was significantly correlated with PSA. Even though the results were weaker, these results are consistent with results in other sets of population. The results vary between different countries and thus, ethnicities. Indonesia is a populous a sociocultural and ethnically diverse country. Therefore, aside from PSA, age, and PV, when investigating men with BPH, ethnicity may also need to be taken into account.