[Laser microdissection in the molecular oncology of prostate cancer]

Nearly all diseases, including prostate cancer (PCA), occur in mixed tissues with different cell types interconnected by multiple interactions. Laser microdissection permits a separate analysis of specific cell types necessary to understand tumorigenesis. Microdissection can be combined with different molecular methods for analyses at the levels of the genome, the transcriptome or the proteome. With respect to the molecular pathogenesis of PCA, normal glands can be compared to preneoplasias, and these in turn to the carcinoma. Different malignancy grades, as well as intra- and extraprostatic tumor parts, can be specifically analysed and molecular markers of aggressiveness can be identified. The molecular signatures obtained provide the basis for functional studies. New prognostic markers and therapeutic targets can be expected from such approaches in the near future. A far reaching goal is the computer representation of multiple molecular components and their interactions, "E-cell in cyberspace", in which prognostic behaviour and therapeutic responsiveness can be approximately predicted.