title: [Histological effects of short term endocrine therapy on prostatic cancer].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study is to investigate the pathological changes which occurred in prostatic cancer shortly after the commencement of endocrine therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fourty-three patients underwent radical prostatectomy immediately after the short term endocrine therapy (treatment period was within one month) and the histological pictures of operative specimens were compared to those obtained from the pretreatment biopsy specimens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Degenerative changes of cancer cells, such as nuclear and cytoplasmic vacuole, collapse of the cytoplasm and the appearance of naked hyperchromatic nucleus were noticed after the short term endocrine therapy. Especially in the cases which were histologically evaluated to be poorly differentiated in the biopsy specimens, not only degenerative changes but also destruction of cancer nests caused by cell death were observed. The histological effects affected by short term endocrine treatment had no relation to the prognosis, but in the cases of stage D2, the pathological grade judged by post-therapeutic specimens were found to be useful for the prediction of prognosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endocrine therapy induces remarkable pathological changes in prostatic cancer within a very short time after beginning treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Urology, Fukushima Medical College.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Irisawa
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yoshimura
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yokota
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Yamaguchi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kondou
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hamasaki
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yamad
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kurosu
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chiba
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D004054:Diethylstilbestrol; C004955:fosfestrol