[Study of alpha1-antichymotrypsin (ACT) in prostatic carcinoma]

10 normal prostates and 100 prostates with tumour were studied immunohistochemically. ACT was found mainly in the cells lining the ducts. Synthesis of ACT is significantly increased in carcinoma due to mainly two parallel processes: ACT production by carcinoma cells and intensification of its production by normal cells mainly at the tumour periphery. Hyperplastic structures showed not very high ACT content, adenomatous structures revealed a higher response. On the whole, there is a parallelism between the content of ACT and prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in both normal and carcinomatous prostate, however PSA is being found in a much more wider spectrum of cells. Content of ACT in seminal fluid may be used as a parameter for diagnosis and monitoring of prostate cancer.