Abstract

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• Using archival radical prostatectomy specimens from patients with prostate cancer (n=19) we studied the relationship between staining with two different markers of cellular proliferation and the local extent or eventual progression of disease. In cases where the disease had spread outside the capsule of the prostate (n=9) the average staining patterns for proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and MIB 1 were higher than in cases where the disease was organ-confined (n=10). The difference in the staining patterns for these two groups was greater for the MIB 1 antigen and this was shown to be statistically significant (p=0.01) whereas the smaller difference seen for proliferating cell nuclear antigen was not statistically significant. There was a higher staining pattern seen for these antigens in cases where disease progression was evident by a rising prostatic specific antigen level. The difference was greater and statistically significant (p≤0.01) for MIB 1 whereas the PCNA staining showed a smaller difference that was not statistically significant. From these finding it seems that there is a relationship between the degree of staining for MIB 1 (and possibly PCNA) and the local extent of disease and of eventual progression. These numbers of cellular proliferation may be useful as predictors of local spread or of future disease progression and for this reason more investigation into their relationship with prostate cancer is warranted.