HISTOPATHOLOGIC CHARACTERIZATION OF HEREDITARY BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA

Objectives. Recent studies suggest the presence of a hereditary form o f benign prostatic hyperplasia (H-BPH). This study was undertaken to c haracterize the histopathologic features of BPH in these men. Methods. Because study subjects with H-BPH were young (mean age 59 years) and had a large prostate (mean prostate weight 61 g), we compared the hist opathologic findings in these men with those in two different control groups: (I)age-matched control subjects (mean age 59 years; mean prost ate weight 31 g), and (2) prostate weight-matched control subjects (me an age 70 years; mean prostate weight 61 g). Using a color video image analysis system, we morphometrically determined stromal/epithelial ra tios in histologic sections taken from 12 men with H-BPH, 36 age-match ed control subjects, and 36 prostate weight-matched control subjects. Results. The stromal/epithelial ratio was 2.6 +/- 1.4 in the men with H-BPH, 2.7 +/- 1.7 in the age-matched control subjects, and 1.7 +/- 0. 9 in the prostate weight-matched control subjects. Regression analysis , which controlled for the differences in prostate weight or patient a ge between men with H-BPH and age-matched and prostate weight-matched control subjects, respectively, revealed a significant difference betw een men with H-BPH and prostate weight-matched control subjects (P = 0 .015) but no difference from age-matched control subjects (P = 0.36). Conclusions. The larger prostates in young men with H-BPH are characte rized by a higher stromal/epithelial ratio than are similar-sized pros tates in older men with sporadic BPH. This finding gives rise to specu lation that H-BPH is associated with an increase in stromal elements.