Background Cancer of the prostate (CaP) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide and the sixth leading cause of death from cancer in males. . Black men of African descent have higher risk for developing prostate cancer and are most likely to present at a younger age with more advanced disease and a poorer disease prognosis. Objective To determine if there is a relationship between the level of serum 25 hydroxy vitamin D and aggressiveness of prostate cancer using the Gleason score in black Africans in Jos. Methods A cross sectional study conducted among fifty patients presenting at the urological surgical out-patient clinics of the Jos University Teaching Hospital who were evaluated to have a clinical diagnosis of prostate cancer and scheduled for prostate biopsy. Blood samples for serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D were assayed using the ELISA technique, prostate biopsy was done and only those histologically confirmed to be prostate cancer were analysed. Data was collected using a proforma with statistical analysis done using SPSS(R) version 23 and Spearman’s rank correlation test used with a p-value < 0.05 considered significant. Results Fifty patients with histologically proven prostate cancer was studied whose age ranged from 50-89 years with a predominant age group 70-79 years (70.0±7.9).The mean level of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D was 37.90ng/ml±17.92. All patients in the study had adenocarcinoma as the histologic type with a mean Gleason score of 9.36±13.14. A Spearman’s rank order correlation was statistically significant (rs (50) = -0.423, p = 0.002). Conclusion A Spearman’s rank order correlation shows a moderate negative correlation between the serum 25- hydroxy vitamin D and Gleason score (rs (50) = -0.423, p = 0.002.Thus, serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D assay can be used to prognosticate in patients with cancer of the prostate.

Keywords : Serum 25-Hydroxy Vitamin D, Prostate Cancer, Gleason Score