IMMUNOHISTOCHEMICAL DETERMINATION OF AGE-RELATED PROLIFERATION RATES IN NORMAL AND BENIGN HYPERPLASTIC HUMAN PROSTATES

To study whether benign prostatic growth in aging men correlates with an increase in proliferation, proliferation rates were determined immu nohistochemically using the antibody Ki-67 in 20 benign hyperplastic p rostates (BPH) and in four normal prostates (NPR). There was no signif icant correlation between age and proliferation rate in epithelium or stroma in BPH. In addition, no significant correlation between prostat e weight and proliferation rate could be demonstrated in either compar tment. In NPR the proliferation rate in epithelium and stroma was 9 ti mes and 37 times lower, respectively, than in BPH. Obviously the induc tion of BPH from NPR may be associated with a distinct increase in pro liferation. The further increase in BPH volume, however, is not correl ated with a further increase in proliferation rate.