Analysis of Prostate-Specific Antigen Levels in a Population-Based Prostate Cancer Screening Program at Hiwa Hospital, Sulaymaniyah, Iraq
Background: Prostate cancer is the third most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide with a significant public health burden. Objective: To investigate the effect of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in the early detection of prostate cancer and to highlight age and body mass index as the associated risk factors in a screening program at Hiwa Cancer Hospital in Sulaymaniyah City in Iraq. Methods: This was a population-based screening study that enrolled 958 men aged between 30 and 75 years. A questionnaire was designed to collect demographic data, and serum PSA concentrations were measured for all participants. Results: PSA values exceeding 4.0ng/mL were referred for further urological evaluation. Most of the participants (94.6%) exhibited PSA levels within the normal range (≤4 ng/mL), whereas 52(5.42%) of them demonstrated PSA levels exceeding 4.0ng/mL. Among those with abnormal PSA levels, 41(4.3%) participants had PSA values ranging from 4.1 to 10ng/mL, while 11(1.1%) participants had levels above 10 ng/mL. Prostate cancer was confirmed in five individuals, which accounts for 9.61% of participants with elevated PSA levels (>4.0 ng/ml). Patients diagnosed with prostate cancer showed a substantially higher PSA level (median: 43ng/mL) compared with non-cancer participants (median: 5.5ng/mL). No statistically significant associations were observed between PSA levels and either body mass index or age, although PSA demonstrated a moderate positive correlation with increasing age. Conclusions: The study indicates a low prevalence of prostate cancer within the screened population while emphasizing the importance of PSA screening programs for early detection.