NEUROENDOCRINE DIFFERENTIATION IN CARCINOMAS OF THE PROSTATE - DO NEUROENDOCRINE SERUM MARKERS REFLECT IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL FINDINGS

The aim of the present study was to examine the correlation between th e immunohistochemical findings and the serum markers for neuroendocrin e (NE) cells in patients with carcinoma of the prostate. Preoperative serum values of chromogranin A (CgA), chromogranin B (CgB), pancreasta tin (Pst), neuron-specific enolase (NSE), and prostatic specific antig en (PSA) were determined in 22 patients. The tissue specimens were obt ained by a palliative transurethral resection of the prostate (TURF) b ecause of urinary outflow obstruction. Immunohistochemistry was perfor med by using antibodies against CgA, CgB, NSE, serotonin, thyroid-stim ulating hormone (TSH), and somatostatin. Tumor cells with NE different iation were found in 91% of the cases. No patient had elevated serum v alues of NSE, despite the presence of NSE-positive tumor cells in 77% of the tumors. Neither did CgB in serum correlate with the immunohisto chemical findings. Elevated serum values of CgA were found in 59% of p atients. A positive correlation between the number of CgA-staining cel ls and the serum values of CgA was found, as seven out of eight patien ts with groups of CgA-positive tumor cells had elevated serum values o f CgA. We conclude that CgA, in contrast to NSE, CgB, and Pst, seems t o be a useful serum marker in predicting the extent of NE differentiat ion in prostatic tumors. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.