Profiling Testosterone, Androstenedione, DHEA, and 17α-Hydroxyprogesterone in Prostate Cancer Patients Using LC–MS/MS

Abstract

Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality in men and is often associated with alterations in androgen hormone levels and increased concentrations of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA). The relationship between androgen levels and PSA concentrations in prostate cancer patients remains to be further investigated to better understand its role in disease progression. This study aimed to analyze the profiles of testosterone, androstenedione, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and 17α-hydroxyprogesterone in prostate cancer patients using liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and to evaluate their correlations with PSA levels. Frozen serum samples from healthy men and prostate cancer patients aged 57–86 years were selected based on PSA concentrations ranging from 0.08–1.29 ng/dL in the healthy group and 21.42–801.18 ng/dL in the prostate cancer group. Prostate cancer patients exhibited lower levels of testosterone, androstenedione, and DHEA, but higher levels of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone compared with healthy controls. PSA levels showed a significant negative correlation with DHEA concentrations (r = −0.416; p = 0.022), whereas no significant correlations were observed between PSA and the other steroid hormones analyzed.