Ефремов Г.Д.

In experiment on 15 male rats of different age it was shown, that old rats in the age of 2 years have definitive age-related changes in the prostate, analogous to the benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), in a form of increase in the prostatic mass and typical histological picture.

The studies of the last years showed, that prostate specific antigen (PSA) is not absolutely organ specific and could be detected in endometrium, in mammary gland, in breast milk, in adrenal tumors, in tumor tissue of renal cell carcinoma, in secretory epithelial cells of the trachea, thyroid gland, breast, salivary gland, jejunum and ileum, epididymis, seminal vesicles and urethra, also in Leydig cells, pancreatic cells, exocrine glands’ cells and cells of the epidermis.

Castration-refractory prostate cancer (CRPC) makes up 5-20% of all prostate cancer (PCa) cases. Basically the reason for CRPC is a regulation breakdown of the androgen receptors (AR). The altered ARs are seldom to see in the untreated cases, which stands for the role of the hormonal therapy on these AR changes. One of the perspective directions in the CRPC treatment is a combination therapy using somatostatin analogues (octreotide) and dexamethasone. Somatostatin plays an important role in the physiology of different organs, including prostate.

Renal cancer is a heterogeneous group of tumors, the most common of which is the clear cell carcinoma, less common papillary and chromophobe carcinomas. Pathological examination faces difficulties in the differential diagnosis of malignant chromophobe carcinoma and benign oncocytomas, and between types I and II papillary renal carcinoma. However, the precise verification of these types of tumors is required for an adequate prognosis and treatment planning.

The inhibitors of the phosphodiesterase type 5 (iPDE-5) are today the first line agents for the therapy of the erectile dysfunction (ED). The data regarding their effect on the male fertility is controversial.

Ultrastructural studies have shown a wide morphological diversity of neuroendocrine cells (NEC), which is correlated with a large number of known secreted into the blood substances, including neuron-spesific enolase, chromogranin A (СgA), chromogranin B, bombesin, serotonin, somatostatin, thyroid-stimulating hormone like peptide, parathyroid hormone-related peptide, calcitonin. It is believed that the NEC in varying amounts are always present in prostate cancer (PC).

One of the biggest problems in the diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa), which distinguishes it from many other solid tumors, is the difficulty of visualization of the tumor process by using modern methods of radiation diagnosis.

Brief definition of immunohistochemical assay was given in this article. The role of immunohistochemical assay in prostate cancer diagnostics was shown. Immunohistochemical markers were divided into two groups: marker for prostate cancer detection and markers for prostate cancer potential assessment. Detailed characteristics of most significant markers were given. In first group following markers were included: cytokeratins, p63 protein, alpha-methylacyl-CoA-racemase.