A NOVEL-APPROACH TO THE CHARACTERIZATION OF WHOLE PROSTATE PATHOLOGY IN GLYCOL METHACRYLATE

The controversial and subjective nature of the classification of many prostatic lesions and tbe increasing recognition that lesions that occ ur in different topographical regions or zones of the prostate may dif fer in their biological behavior suggest that new approaches are neede d to increase our understanding of the biology of prostatic diseases. The precise recognition and identification of prostatic lesions are pr erequisites for studies of their biological behavior. We have develope d a novel method for the embedding of whole prostates in glycol methac rylate at low temperatures. Enzyme histochemical procedures that can b e conducted with this approach have revealed previously unrecognized f eatures of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and have demonstrated t he presence of prostatic lesions that resemble enzyme-altered foci tha t have been reported and characterized extensively in other organ syst ems.