Tissue Zinc Concentration in Prostate Cancer: Relationship with Prostate Specific Antigen and Gleason Score in a Cohort of Nigerian Men

Abstract

Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the commonest maliganacy among men of African descent. The possible role of trace elements like Zinc in its aetiogenesis and disease severity remains controversial. This paper aims to identify the relationship between tissue zinc concentration and the occurrence of prostate cancer. And to identify the relationship between the tissue zinc concentration and the disease severity (using the prostate specific antigen (PSA) and Gleason scores (GS)).Methodology: A cross-sectional study of 41 consecutive consenting men with histologically confirmed PCa and 41 age-matched controls. Toe-nail clippings were obtained from both groups and assayed for zinc using the Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) technique. Zinc concentrations were compared between cases and controls. A correlation analysis was performed to determine relationship between Zinc concentration and disease severity (PSA and GS). Results: Forty one men each were recruited in the Prostate cancer and control groups for this study. PCa group had a mean age of 72.83 ± 7.06 years while the control group was 70.73 ±6.40 years. There was statistically significant higher toe-nail Zn concentration among Prostate cancer patients than controls (P= 0.028, t=2.28, df=40). The mean PSA values among the Prostate cancer group was 46.10 ± 40.62ng/ml and mode GS was 8.There was neither a correlation between toe-nail Zn concentration and serum PSA levels (p=0.386) nor with the GS. Conclusion: This study found a statistically significant higher toe-nail Zn concentration among men with PCa compared with age-matched controls. There was however no correlation between toe-nail Zn concentration and the serum prostate specific antigen or Gleason score.

Diagnostic Efficacy of PSMA and PSCA mRNAs Combined to PSA in Prostate Cancer Patients

“…This work showed an increase in levels of PSA in PCa patients when compared to BPH and controls. This result is in agreement with that of Igbokwe et al, 2021 who found an elevation in its level in Nigerian patients.…”

The association between zinc and prostate cancer development: A systematic review and meta-analysis

“…Moreover, 16 studies were found through backward [ 20 , 24 , 88 – 98 ] and forward citation searching [ 99 – 101 ], and one study from searching Google Scholar [ 102 ]. Finally, 52 articles were included in this systematic review, of which forty-four were case-controls [ 19 , 21 , 22 , 24 , 57 – 65 , 67 , 69 – 73 , 75 – 82 , 84 – 92 , 94 , 95 , 97 – 102 ], four were cohorts [ 20 , 26 , 66 , 74 ], and four were analytical cross-sectional studies [ 68 , 83 , 93 , 96 ]. Overall, 50 studies were included in quantitative synthesis and two in qualitative synthesis ( Fig 1 ).…”

“…Twelve studies were conducted in the United States [ 19 – 21 , 24 , 26 , 66 , 72 – 75 , 80 , 84 ], nine in Nigeria [ 57 , 59 , 68 , 76 – 78 , 83 , 88 , 94 ], five in Turkey [ 58 , 70 , 79 , 85 , 89 ], four in China [ 91 – 93 , 96 ], three in India [ 61 , 65 , 69 ], two in Saudi Arabia [ 82 , 95 ], two in Russia [ 86 , 87 ], two in Germany [ 62 , 63 ], one study in each other countries, such as Poland [ 60 ], Venezuela [ 90 ], Spain [ 67 ], Sudan [ 99 ], Singapore [ 102 ], Iraq [ 100 ], Serbia [ 97 ], United Kingdom [ 98 ], Iran [ 101 ], Malaysia [ 71 ], Italy [ 64 ], Sweden [ 22 ], and Pakistan [ 81 ]. The follow-up duration of cohort studies ranged from seven to about 28 years [ 20 , 26 , 66 ,…”

“…Atomic absorption spectrometry (AAS) was the most common method for zinc measurement. The sources of sampling were different which included serum [ 21 , 57 – 63 , 65 , 69 , 70 , 75 – 79 , 81 – 83 , 85 , 88 , 89 , 93 , 94 , 98 – 102 ], erythrocyte [ 62 ], prostatic fluid or tissue [ 61 , 69 , 77 , 86 , 87 , 90 ], hair [ 71 , 81 , 91 , 95 , 96 ], and nail [ 68 , 71 , 80 , 81 ]. Also, eleven studies used a questionnaire to assess levels of zinc intake [ 19 , 20 , 24 , 26 , 64 , 66 , 67 , 73 , 74 , 84 , 92 ].…”

Suggesting Tissue-Specific MSMB Gene Promoter as a Novel Approach for Prostate Targeted Gene Therapy

“…Prostate cancer is one of the most important causes of cancer mortality among men (Igbokwe et al, 2021). Current treatments have several side effects and researchers are always looking for new therapies with most significant impact on tumor tissue (Anguela and High, 2019).…”