Effect of central obesity on prostate specific antigen measured by computerized tomography: related markers and prostate volume.

Purpose: We assessed the effects of central adiposity represented by visceral adipose tissue on prostate volume, prostate specific antigen, and prostate specific antigen mass and mass ratio.

Materials And Methods: This cross-sectional study included 6,389 Asian men 30 to 79 years old. Prostate volume was estimated by transrectal ultrasound. Visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue was measured by computerized tomography. Multivariate linear regression analysis was done between prostate specific antigen related variables and obesity indexes such as body mass index, waist circumference, and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue after adjusting for age.

Results: Body mass index, waist circumference and subcutaneous adipose tissue were inversely associated with prostate specific antigen (p for trend <0.001) but visceral adipose tissue showed no associations with prostate specific antigen (p for trend = 0.740). Waist circumference, and visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue were positively associated with prostate specific antigen mass (p for trend = 0.014, <0.001 and 0.036, respectively). However, body mass index did not show this association (p for trend = 0.372). Body mass index, waist circumference and subcutaneous adipose tissue negatively affected the prostate specific antigen mass ratio (each p for trend <0.05) but there was no such significant correlation for visceral adipose tissue (p for trend = 0.187). When adjusted for visceral adipose tissue body mass index was not associated with prostate volume (p for trend = 0.152) but visceral adipose tissue remained positively associated with prostate volume even after adjusting for body mass index (p for trend = 0.005).

Conclusions: Visceral adiposity is the main determining factor of the prostate volume increase and prostate specific antigen production.