Androgen Receptor Expression in Epithelial and Stromal Cells of Prostatic Carcinoma and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Abstract

BACKGROUND:Prostatic carcinoma (PCa) derives from prostatic epithelial cells. However stromal microenvironment, associated with malignant epithelium, also plays a role in prostatic carcinogenesis. Alterations in prostatic stromal cells contribute to the loss of growth control in epithelial cells that lead to progression of PCa.AIM:To analyse the differences between Androgen Receptor (AR) expression in both epithelial and stromal cells in PCa and the surrounding benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and to compare the results with tumour grade.MATERIAL AND METHODS:Samples from 70 cases of radical prostatectomy specimens were used. The expression and intensity of the signal for AR was analysed in the epithelial and stromal cells of PCa and BPH, and the data was quantified using histological score (H-score).RESULTS:AR showed significantly lower expression in both epithelial and stromal cells of PCa compared to BPH. In PCa a significant positive correlation of AR expression was found between stromal and epithelial cells of PCa. AR expression showed a correlation between the stromal cells of PCa and tumour grade.CONCLUSION:AR expression is reduced in epithelial and stromal cells of PCa. Expression of AR in stromal cells of PCa significantly correlates with tumour grade.

Activin B and Activin C Have Opposing Effects on Prostate Cancer Progression and Cell Growth

“…For example, some count nuclear staining or measure overall staining, others compare stromal vs. epithelial or primary cancer vs. metastasis. Several studies have, however, reported an inverse relationship between AR protein expression and Gleason grade, particularly when comparing stromal tissue to epithelial cells [42][43][44]. The current study did not differentiate between the stromal and epithelial compartments and the IRS for AR is significantly lower in all pathologies compared to normal prostate.…”

Immunohistochemistry analysis of estrogen receptor and androgen receptor in benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate carcinoma

“…Scoring of intensity and percentage positivity was carried out separately. 4,5 Staining intensity was scored from 0-3 as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3. Where staining intensity is graded as 0= not detectable, 1= translucent, 2= opaque, 3= solid.…”

“…Where staining intensity is graded as 0= not detectable, 1= translucent, 2= opaque, 3= solid. 4,5 The percentage of cells staining positively at each level of staining intensity was calculated. We used total staining score, defined as the sum of the percentage of any cells that are staining positively.…”

“…We also evaluated other IHC scoring functions, including the H score, to determine whether they may perform better in classifying responders. [4][5][6] The H score is a widely used, semi quantitative measure that considers both the cell staining intensity and the percentage of cells stained positively. 5 The score is obtained by the equation = 3 x score 3 (percentage of solid staining nuclei) + 2 x score at 2 (percentage of opaque-staining nuclei) + score 1(percentage of translucent-staining nuclei), yielding results in a range of 0 to 300, which are then normalized to a scale of 0% to 100%., 5 as described in Figure 4.…”

“…PCa is an androgen-sensitive disease, which can be pharmacologically prohibited by androgen blockade. 4 This study aims to assess the implication of ER and AR as biological markers in assessing their degree of positivity in Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and Prostatic carcinoma (PCa), and to determine their association with PSA levels and histopathological morphology.…”