Risk Factors of Prostate Cancer Among Patients Diagnosed at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria: A Case- Control Study

Background and aims: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and its incidence is higher among black folks for reasons yet unclear. Although few risk factors have been linked to the development of PCa among Nigerian men, it remains unclear whether these risk factors modulate the odds of PCa. Methods: The case-control study comprised forty-three cases and one hundred and twenty-nine age-matched controls (± 5 years) without PCa by prostatic specific antigen (PSA) examination. Conditional logistic regression analysis was employed to identify risk factors associated with PCa at P < 0.05 using SPSS 20. Results: Increasing age (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.8; 95% CI: 1.7-4.5) was the strongest risk factor for PCa, followed by increasing age at first sex (AOR: 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1-1.4) and sexual activity (AOR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.9) as a protective risk factor against PCa in this Nigerian Population. Conclusion: The study confirms age as a recognized risk factor and backed evidence for other hypothesized risk factors. The study recommends findings with other confirmatory studies that can help to guide policies for better health care decisions among Nigerian men and interventions centered on routine screening for PSA with an emphasis on the elderly clinic is encouraged.