Summary
Estrogen (ER) and Progesterone receptors (PR) were demonstrated immunohistochemically on frozen sections from 11 prostatectomy and 7 cystoprostatectomy specimens in the nuclei of various cell types. The periglandular fibrocytes and smooth muscle cells were extensively positive, the interglandular stromal cells were only partly so. Normal basal cells stained focally positive, hyperplastic basal cells stained extensively. The glandular secretory epithelium and atrophic glands were negative. The same findings were obtained in hyperplastic nodules. Both ER and PR also occurred in the urothelium of central prostatic ducts and of the prostatic urethra. The fibrous stroma around the ejaculatory ducts and seminal vesicles was extensively positive while the epithelium was negative. The smooth musculature of the seminal vesicles was only partly positive. On large field sections, the ER as well as the PR were numerically equally distributed throughout the inner zone of the prostate and the prostate proper. 12 prostatic carcinomas (G I–G III) were ER- and PR-negative. Estrogens may contribute to nodular hyperplasia by triggering a stromal proliferation with a secondary inductive epithelial growth. Obviously they do not act directly on prostatic carcinoma but inhibit growth via the hypophyseal-testicualr axis. The biological significance of the PR in the prostate is unknown.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bartsch W, Krieg M, Becker H, Mohrmann J, Voigt KD (1982) Endogenous androgen levels in epithelium and stroma of human benign prostatic hyperplasia and normal prostate. Acta Endocr 100:634–640
Bashirelahi N, Young J, Shida K, Yamanaka H, Ito Y, Harada M (1983) Androgen, estrogen, and progesterone receptors in peripheral and central zones of human prostate with adenocarcinoma. Urology 21:530–535
Böcking A, Sommerkamp H (1980) Histologisches Malignitäts-Grading des Prostatakarzinoms. Prognostisches Validität, Reproduzierbarkeit und Repräsentativität, Verh Dtsch Ges Urol 32:63–65
Ekman P, Snockowski M, Dahlberg E, Gustafsson JA (1979) Steroid receptors in metastatic carcioma of the human prostate. Europ J Cancer 15:257–262
Farnworth WE (1983) Possible causative factors. In: Hinnmann F Jr (ed) Benign prostatic hypertrophy. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York Tokyo, pp 145–151
Franks LM (1954) Benign nodular hyperplasia of the prostate: a review. Ann Roy Coll Surg Engl 14:92–106
Franks LM, Riddle PN, Carbonell AW, Gey GO (1970) A comparative study of the ultrastructure and lack of growth capacity of adult human prostate epithelium mechanically seperated from its stroma. J Pathol 100:113–120
Harper ME, Sibley PEC, Francis AB, Nicholson RI, Griffiths K (1984) Symposium on “Estrogen Receptor Determination with Monoclonal Antibodies”. Experience with oestrogen receptor immunocytochemical assay (ER-ICA) for the detection of oestrogen receptors in human prostatic tumours. Monte-Carlo, December 14th
Harper ME, Sibley PEC, Barrie Francis A, Nicholson RI, Griffiths K (1986) Immunocytochemical assay for estrogen receptors applied to human prostatic tumors. Cancer Res (Suppl) 46:4288s-4290s
Kirdani R, Emrich L, Pontes E, Priore R, Murphy G (1985) A comparison of estrogen and androgen receptor levels in human prostatic tissue from patients with non-metastatic and metastatic carcinoma and benign prostatic hyperplasia. J Steroid Biochem 22:569–575
Kirdani R, Pontes E, Murphy G, Sandberg A (1984) Correlation of estrogen and androgen receptor status in prostatic disease measured by high pressure liquid chromatography. J Steroid Biochem 20:401–406
Kozak I, Bartsch W, Krieg M, Voigt KD (1982) Nuclei of stroma: Site of highest estrogen concentration in human benign prostatic hyperplasia. Prostate 3:433–438
Krieg M, Grobe K, Voigt KD, Altenähr E, Klosterhalfen H (1978) Human prostatic carcinoma: Significant differences in its androgen binding and metabolism compared to the human benign prostatic hypertrophy. Acta Endocr 88:397–407
Krieg M, Klötzl G, Kaufmann J, Voigt KD (1981) Stroma of human benign prostatic hyerplasia: preferential tissue for androgen metabolism and oestrogen binding. Acta Endocr 96:422–432
Lämmel A, Krieg M, Klosterhalfen H, Bressel M, Voigt KD (1986) Bestimmung von Steroidrezeptoren im Prostatakarzinom: Möglichkeiten und Grenzen. Urologe (A) 25:59–62
Lee C, Jesik C (1983) Effects of castration, estrogen, and androgen administration. In: Hinnman F Jr (ed) Benign prostatichypertrophy. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, New York, pp 229–234
Moore RA (1943) Benign hypertrophy of the prostate. J Urol 50:680–710
Pertschuk LP, Eisenberg KB, Macchia RJ, Feldman JG (1985) Heterogeneity of steroid binding sites in prostatic carcinoma: morphological demonstration and clincal implications. Prostate 6:34–47
Pertschuk LP, Zava DT, Gaetjens E, Macchia RJ, Wise GJ, Kim DS, Brigati DJ (1979) Histochemistry of steroid receptors in prostatic diseases. Ann Clin Lab Sci 9:225–229
Reischauer F (1925) Die Entstehung der sogenannten Prostatahypertrophie. Virchows Arch A (Pathol Anat) 256:357–389
Robel P, Eychenne B, Blondeau JP, Baulieu EE, Hechter O (1985) Sex steroid receptors in normal and hyperplastic human prostate. Prostate 6:255–267
Seitz G, Wernert N (1987) Immunohistochemical estrogen receptor demonstration in the prostate and prostate cancer. Pathol Res Pract, in press
Senge Th (1983) Hormonstoffwechsel und Rezeptoren in der Prostata. In: Helpap B (ed) Prostatahyperplasie. Die Prostata Bd. I. pmi, Frankfurt, pp 87–95
Sugimura Y, Norman JT, Cunha G, Shannon JM (1985) Regional differences in the inductive activity of the mesenchyma of the embryonic mouse urogenital sinus. Prostate 7:253–260
Tunn UW, Schweikert HU (1983) Endokrinologische Aspekte der Pathogenese der benignen Prostatahyperplasie. In: Helpap B (ed) Prostatahyperplasie. Die Prostata Bd. I. pmi, Frankfurt, pp 67–86
Tunn U, Senge Th, Schenck B, Neuman F (1979) Biochemical and histological studies on prostates in castrated dogs after treatment with androstanediol, oestradiol and cyproterone acetate. Acta Endocr (Kbh) 91:373–384
Tveter KJ (1974) Some aspects of the pathogenesis of prostatic hyperplasia. Acta Pathol Microbiol Immunol Scand Sect A (Suppl) 248:167–174
Wagner RK, Schulze KH, Jungblut PW (1975) Estrogen and androgen receptor in human prostate and prostatic tumor tissue. Acta endocr (Kbh) (Suppl) 193:52
Wernert N, Seitz G, Dhom G (1987) Different markers in conservatively treated prostatic carcinoma and the estrogen receptor in the normal prostate. J Endocrinol Invest 10:(Suppl 2):43
Wilkin RP, Bruchovsky N, Shnitka TK, Rennie DS, Comeau TL (1980) Stromal 5alpha-reductase activity is elevated in benign prostatic hyperplasia. Acta Endocr (Kbh) 94:284–288
Wolf RM, Schneider L, Pontes JE, Englander L, Karr JP, Murphy GP, Sandberg AA (1985) Estrogen and progestin receptors in human prostatic carcinoma. Cancer 55:2477–2481
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wernert, N., Gerdes, J., Loy, V. et al. Investigations of the estrogen (ER-ICA-test) and the progesterone receptor in the prostate and prostatic carcinoma on immunohistochemical basis. Vichows Archiv A Pathol Anat 412, 387–391 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750267
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00750267