A high serum dehydroepiandrosterone concentration is a predictor of candidates for active surveillance in men with serum prostate-specific antigen < 10 ng/mL

Background There is no consensus on the role of serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) concentrations in the detection of prostate cancer. This study examined the effectiveness of serum DHEA in predicting candidate patients for active surveillance (AS) prior to prostate biopsy. Methods A systematic prostate needle biopsy was performed in 203 men with serum PSA levels of < 10 ng/mL to detect prostate cancer. Serum DHEA concentrations were measured with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) just before biopsy. Patient's age, serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, prostate volume, and serum DHEA concentrations were compared with pathological findings in multivariate analyses. Results The median patient's age, PSA, serum DHEA concentration and prostate volume were 68 years, 5.5 ng/mL, 1654.7 pg/mL, and 31.2 mL, respectively. In a multivariate analysis, low PSA values, high serum DHEA concentrations, and large prostate volume were significant predictors of the patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of <= 3 + 4 who are candidate for AS. The DHEA cut-off point for predicting BPH or prostate cancer with a Gleason score of <= 3 + 4 was 2188 pg/mL, with a sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of 33.7%, 96.0%, 98.4%, and 16.9%, respectively. Conclusion The study indicated that higher serum DHEA concentrations prior to prostate biopsy might predict the patients with BPH or prostate cancer with a Gleason score <= 3 + 4 who are candidate for AS, in men with PSA of < 10 ng/mL.