The Development of Human Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia with Age

Abstract

The prevalence and growth rate of human benign prostatic hyperplasia with age was studied by combining and analyzing data from 10 independent studies containing > 1000 prostates. The normal prostate reaches 20 .+-. 6 g. in men between 21-30 yr old, and this weight remains essentially constant with increasing age unless benign prostatic hyperplasia develops. The prevalence of pathological benign prostatic hyperplasia is only 8% at the 4th decade; 50% of the male population has pathological benign prostatic hyperplasia when they are 51-60 yr old. The average weight of a prostate that is recognized at autopsy to contain benign prostatic hyperplasia is 33 .+-. 16 g. Only 4% of the prostates in men > 70 yr old reach sizes greater than 100 g. An analysis of a logistic growth curve of benign prostatic hyperplasia lesions removed at prostatectomy indicates that the growth of benign prostatic hyperplasia is initiated probably before the patients is 30 yr old. The early phase of benign prostatic hyperplasia growth (men between 31-50 yr old) is characterized by a doubling time for the tumor weight of 4.5 yr. In the mid phase of benign prostatic hyperplasia growth (men between 51-70 yr old) the doubling time is 10 yr, and increases to > 100 yr in patients beyond 70 yr old.