title: Frequency and number of neuroendocrine tumor cells in prostate cancer: no difference between radical prostatectomy specimens from patients with and without neoadjuvant hormonal therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Neuroendocrine tumor cells in prostate cancer are thought to increase after hormonal therapy due to neuroendocrine differentiation of tumor cells. This assumption is based on the histological analyses of limited portions of the cancerous lesions examined.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radical prostatectomy specimens were obtained from 122 consecutive patients with prostate adenocarcinoma, 70 of whom underwent prostatectomy alone (Group A) and 52 with neoadjuvant hormonal therapy (Group B). Sections from all the 5-mm-thick slices from formalin-fixed specimens were immunostained for chromogranin-A, and the total number of choromogranin-A-positive neuroendocrine tumor cells were counted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No difference was found between Groups A and B in the frequency of cancer with neuroendocrine cells. The total number of neuroendocrine cells in cancer varied widely with no difference of median values in the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results do not support the assumption that hormonal therapy induces neuroendocrine differentiation, but suggest androgen-independent neuroendocrine cells existed before therapy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Pathology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kumagai
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eishi
authors.forename: Toshitaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uehara
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: Touichiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takizawa
authors.forename: Morio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Koike
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis; D002452:Cell Count; D053379:Chromogranin A / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020360:Neoadjuvant Therapy; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D018358:Neuroendocrine Tumors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*
chemical_list: D018931:Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D053379:Chromogranin A; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins