APOPTOTIC BODIES IN PROSTATIC INTRAEPITHELIAL NEOPLASIA AND PROSTATICADENOCARCINOMA FOLLOWING TOTAL ANDROGEN ABLATION

The frequency and location of apoptotic bodies (AB) were evaluated in hematoxylin- and eosin-stained sections of 12 radical prostatectomies from patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma pre-treated for 3 months w ith total androgen ablation. Results were compared with an untreated a ge; morphology- and stage-matched control group. Treated prostates sho wed involutional changes, with cytoplasmic vacuolization and chromatin changes ranging from mild to severe condensation, similar to that obs erved in apoptosis. In treated benign prostatic epithelium, the mean n umber of AB teas 1.64% (standard error (SE), 0.19%), 6.3 times greater than in the untreated group (mean, 0.26%; SE, 0.03%). AB were more fr equent in the basal cell layer than in the lumenal cell layer whereas in the untreated group, AB were almost exclusively found in the basal cell layer In treated prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN present in 10 cases), the mean number of AB was 1.74% (SE, 0.04%), which was 2.56 and 2.32 times greater than in untreated low grade PIN (mean, 0.6 8%; SE, 0.15%) and high grade PIN (mean, 0.75%; SE, 0.11%), respective ly. In treated and untreated PIN, the number of AB was greatest in the basal cell layer less in the intermediate cell layer and lowest in th e cell layer bordering the lumen. The mean number of AB in the 12 trea ted cancers was 1.35 times greater than in untreated cancers (1.80% [S E, 0.12%] versus 1.33% [SE, 0.32%], respectively). The number of AB in treated cases of the acinar pattern of cancer (present in 7 cancer ca ses) was 1.78 times greater than in untreated cases, and in treated ca ses of the cribriform pattern of cancer (Present in four cases), the m ean number of AB was 1.39 times greater than in untreated cases. The n umber of AB was greatest in the outermost cell layer, with progressive decrease in layers closer to the lumen. In the one treated case with solid/trabecular pattern of cancer, the number of AB was 1.08 times gr eater than in untreated cases. The gland lumina was rich in macrophage s, sloughed secretory cells with degenerative features and AB. The num ber of AB in the lumina increased from normal epithelium through PIN t o cancer, and was greater in treated cases than in untreated cases.