The relationship between prostate cancer and syphilis and the relevance
of the known risk factors such as age, occupation and physical/social
activities of these patients on this relationship was determined. Blood
samples were collected by convenience sampling method from 132 men (45
– 89 yrs) attending the Cancer Screening Clinic of University
College Hospital, Ibadan between January and June 2006. All these
patients presented for Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test for various
reasons ranging from suspicious of prostate cancer to routine
screening. The Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) of these patients was
categorized into 0-4µg/L (normal), 4.1-20µg/L and
>20µg/L. Out of the 132 patients used in this study, fifty-six
(42.4%) had Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) value of 0-4µg/L,
twenty-six (19.6 %) had PSA value of 4.1-20µg/L and the rest of
the patients ( 56%) with values; >20µg/L. A total of fourteen
(10.6%) of these patients were syphilis positive, patients with normal
PSA value had the least incidence of syphilis, 7.1% (4 out of 56). In
patients with PSA >20µg/L the incidence was 12.0% (6 of 50)
while the group 4.1-20µg/L recorded the highest incidence of
syphilis with 15.4% (4 of 26). Highest incidence of syphilis was found
at the age group 70-79 with PSA value 4.1-20µg/L, 25.0%, followed
by age group 60-69 with PSA value >20µg/L, 22.2%. Retirees had
14.3 and 9.1% incidence of syphilis at the age groups 50-59 and 60-69
years respectively and at PSA value of 0-4µg/L. High PSA value was
found to be more prevalent in retirees 65.0% (52 out of 80). This study
suggests social status and age related relationship between syphilis
and PSA
