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Updated: Jun 26, 2026
Quantitation of Protein Expression and Co-localization Using Multiplexed Immuno-histochemical Staining and Multispectral Imaging
Published on: April 8, 2016
Immunohistochemical analysis of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer
Eiwa Ishida1, Mitsutoshi Nakamura, Keiji Shimada
1Department of Pathology, Nara Medical University School of Medicine, Kashihara, Nara, Japan.
Objective:
To clarify the significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate cancer.
Methods:
We immunohistochemically examined 96 samples of prostatic cancers obtained from radical prostatectomies using a specific neuroendocrine marker and various neuropeptides, as well as markers for cell proliferation, angiogenesis and androgen-receptor expression.
Results:
We frequently found neuroendocrine cells in atrophic glands with or without chronic inflammation in nontumorous tissues. Neuroendocrine cells were detected in 36.5% of prostate cancer samples overall, but had no significant correlation to angiogenesis, cell proliferation or biochemical recurrence. However, patients with a high frequency of neuroendocrine cells (9.4%) tended to undergo preoperative hormonal therapy (p = 0.060), which led to their cancers being atrophic with inflammation. The neuroendocrine cells in these patients contained calcitonin-positive cells (p
Conclusions:
Neuroendocrine cells may be induced under conditions of atrophy with or without chronic inflammation in both noncancerous glands and in cancers, including calcitonin-positive cells. Neither positive neuroendocrine nor positive androgen-receptor status appears predictive for biochemical recurrence.
