Analysis of Covariance of Gleason Score: A Case Study of 100 Prostate Cancer Patients Undergoing Treatment at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer related deaths in men. It is detected using many screening methods. Like every other cancer, there are risk factors associated with prostate cancer. This include but not limited to, Family History (FH) of the disease, smoking habit, alcohol intake, age and Body Mass Index (BMI). The survival of prostate cancer patients is dependent on many factors such as, early detection of the disease, age of patient and the aggressiveness of the cancer. Gleason score is used to measure the level of aggressiveness of a prostate cancer in a patient. the score ranges from 6 to 10. It is made up of two Gleason grades that ranges from 3 to 5. This study was carried out to determine whether there are significant differences in the mean of Gleason score by the various categories of BMI and FH of patients while controlling for the number of hospital visits. Gleason score was used as the dependent variable while FH and BMI and Number of hospital visits were used as the independent variables. Descriptive statistical measures were used to summarize the basic features of the data. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to measure if there is a significant statistical relationship between the Gleason score, age and BMI, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to measure the differences in the mean of Gleason score by the categories of FH and BMI while controlling for number of hospital visits. The analysis was done using Statistical Programme for Social Science (SPSS 25.0) and Intellectus Statistics software. Results from the analyses were presented in tabular form. The results showed a significant effect of Body Mass Index (BMI) on Gleason score and that Gleason score increases, as age tends to increase.