Inclusion Criteria

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

- Meets 1 of the following criteria:

- Patient at high risk for developing prostate cancer, due to 1 of the following
risk factors:

- Histologically confirmed proliferative inflammatory atrophy and/or
high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia lesions accompanied by
chronic intraprostatic inflammation

- Abnormality observed during digital rectal exam or transrectal
ultrasonography

- Continued elevated age-adjusted prostate-specific antigen (PSA) meeting at
least 1 of the following criteria:

- Screening PSA > 4.0 ng/mL

- Free PSA < 18%

- PSA velocity > 0.75 ng/mL within the past year

- Healthy volunteer meeting the following criteria:

- Age-matched

- Normal PSA level (≤ 2.1 ng/mL)

- Normal digital rectal exam

- No prostatitis or benign prostate hyperplasia

- No urinary symptoms (diagnosed or undiagnosed)

- No diagnosis of cancer

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

Patients and healthy controls:

- No chronic inflammatory conditions, especially those for which regular use of
non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) is prescribed/recommended,
including any of the following:

- Coronary heart disease

- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

- Psoriasis

- Pelvic inflammatory disease

- Multiple sclerosis

- Arthritis

- Lupus

- Hashimoto thyroiditis

- Inflammatory bowel disease (i.e., ulcerative colitis or Crohn disease)

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

- No prior radiotherapy or surgery to the prostate (healthy controls)