Enhanced expression of the mesenchymal marker, vimentin, in hyperplastic versus normal human prostatic epithelium

A total of 20 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) tissue samples from 13 patients were evaluated for the coexpression of cytokeratins and vimentin intermediate filaments in the glandular epithelium. Vimentin expression was significantly increased (p < 0.001) in BPH epithelium compared to adjacent "normal" epithelium. The data imply that epithelial/mesenchymal (E/M) transformations may play a role in the pathogenesis of BPH.