Epidemiology and molecular biology of early prostatic neoplasia

This paper provides our institutional data with respect to the prevalence o f early neoplastic changes within the prostate gland and the age and race d istribution of the patients, The changes examined were prostatic intraepith elial neoplasia (PIN) and preclinical (latent:) cancers. The literature on the prevalence of these early lesions among different geographic and ethnic groups is summarized, and an abbreviated review of the more common molecul ar alterations reported at this early phase of prostatic neoplasia is offer ed.