Prostate cancer

Abstract

Using tritium-labeled thymidine histoautoradiography, the AgNOR staining technique and Ki67-MIB-1 immunohistochemistry to study cell kinetics, prostate cancer can be subdivided into slowly, moderately and rapidly proliferating tumors. These are important supplementary methods and prerequisites for a grading as low, intermediate and high-grade in addition to classical histology and cytology. Cytometry of DNA can confirm the cell kinetics of prostate cancer by detection of a predominance of diploid or aneuploid cell nuclei but should only be evaluated together with histological investigations. All histology-based analyses of cell kinetics encompass the classical highly and poorly differentiated glandular and cribriform patterns as well as solid undifferentiated structures and the various subcategories. The malignancy grading of prostate cancer can result from the summation of histological grading and cell kinetic analyses, as long as the named investigations are included. The future perspectives of individualized therapy options, including active surveillance in early low-grade and also for high-grade prostate cancer and new antihormonal treatment in advanced disease, may increasingly rely on tissue biomarkers and advanced technologies for whole genome analysis including next generation sequencing.