OVER-EXPRESSION OF EPIDERMAL GROWTH-FACTOR RECEPTOR AND C-ERBB2 NEU BUT NOT OF INT-2 GENES IN BENIGN PROSTATIC HYPERPLASIA BY MEANS OF SEMIQUANTITATIVE PCR/

It is well established that activation of cellular genes may trigger u ncontrolled cell growth and cancer development. Previous reports sugge st that the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), c-erbB2/neu and i nt-2, fibroblast growth factor-3, may be implicated in the development of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Using the polymerase chain rea ction technique, we have assessed the amplification and expression of these molecular markers in 30 prostate samples from patients with BPH as well as from 5 normal donors. We detected mRNA over-expression of E GFr and c-erbs2/neu in 36% and 63%, respectively, of the BPH samples, but no gene amplification was found, No amplification or over-expressi on of int-2 was detected in any of the samples analyzed, suggesting th at int-2 is not involved in BPH. Our results thus suggest a role for E GFr and c-erbB2/neu but not for int-2 in the development of BPH. (C) 1 998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.