Aim: Benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer is an internationally important health problem of the man, particularly in developed countries. The aim of this exploratory study was to evaluate whether significant difference in the levels of Zn and some other trace elements of prostatic fluid exist between the inflamed and malignantly transformed prostate. Methods: Prostatic fluid levels of Br, Fe, Rb, Sr, and Zn were prospectively evaluated in 52 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia and 24 patients with prostate cancer.
Measurements were performed using Cd radionuclide-induced energy dispersive X-ray fluorescent microanalysis. Prostatic fluid samples were divided into two portions. One was used for cytological study to exclude prostatitis, while the other was intended for trace element analysis. The contents of Rb and Zn were significantly lower approximately 3. Conclusion: There are significant differences in trace element contents in the fluid of hyperplastic and malignantly transformed prostate.
The great decrease in levels of Rb and Zn in the fluid of cancerous prostate might demonstrate an involvement of these trace elements in etiology and pathogenesis of malignant prostate tumors. It was supposed that the differences in Rb and Zn levels in prostatic fluid can be used as tumor markers. Globally, PCa ranks second in incidence and the fifth in mortality in men, and represents a substantial public health burden [ 1 , 2 ]. Although the etiology of PCa is unknown, several risk factors including age and diet have been well identified.
Thus, the risk of having PCa drastically increase with age, being three orders of magnitude higher for the age group years than for those younger than 39 years [ 3 , 4 ]. The odds of PCa diagnosis by age 79 years are one in six among countries with a high sociodemographic index.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia BPH is an internationally important health problem of the man, particularly in developed countries, and represents the most common urologic disease among of men after the age of fifty [ 4 - 7 ]. To date, we still have no precise knowledge of the biochemical, cellular and molecular processes underlying the pathogenesis of BPH. Although the influence of androgens and estrogens has been demonstrated, hormonal factors alone may not fully explain BPH development [ 9 , 10 ].
