BackgroundThe incidence rate of incidental prostate cancer (IPC) differs significantly among the reported studies in the relevant literature. There is a scarcity of studies regarding IPC reported from Sub-Saharan African Countries, including Somalia. The present is the first study that evaluates the incidence and associated factors for IPC among patients who had surgery for benign prostatic hyperplasia at a tertiary hospital in Somalia.MethodThis retrospective study reviewed the data of 538 patients with benign prostate hyperplasia, 464 patients who underwent transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP), and 74 patients with open prostatectomy (OP) over 5 years. A binary logistic regression model was used to investigate the association between perioperative factors such as age, prostate volume, total prostate-specific antigen (TPSA) levels, type of surgery, specimen weight, and the finding of IPC.ResultsIPC was detected in 17.6%, 18.3% of TURP, and 13.5% of OP patients (p= 0.002). The mean age of the patients was 71.82 ± 7.4; IPC patients had a significantly higher mean age than the BPH group (74 ± 10.9 vs. 71.3 ± 10.8,p< 0.001). Sixty-two percent of the patients were T1b, while 57.8% had ISUP grade groups 1 and 2. Patients with T1a had significantly higher International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) grades 1 and 2 than those with T1b (69.4% in T1a vs. 50.8% in T1b,p< 0.001). Increased age, higher TPSA levels, low prostate volume, and specimen weight were independently associated with the finding of incidental prostate carcinoma (OR 1.978, 95% CI 0.95–1.60,P< 0.04; OR 1.839, 95% CI 0.99–2.02,P< 0.001; OR 1.457, 95% CI 0.7102.99,P< 0.001, OR 0.989, 95% CI 1.07–2.94,P= 0.01). IPC was most commonly managed by active surveillance (54.7%), followed by androgen deprivation therapy in 28.4%. The overall survival rate for a 5-year follow-up in the entire cohort was 79%. The cancer-specific mortality was 8.4%.ConclusionThe study findings revealed a higher incidence and cancer-specific mortality rate of incidental prostate carcinoma. T1b stage, higher ISUP grade, older age, and higher preoperative TPSA were significantly associated with the overall mortality and cancer-specific mortality rate. More than half of the cases were managed by active surveillance, and it is a safe management strategy, particularly in low-income countries like Somalia.