Comparison of the cellular composition of benign prostatic hyperplasia in chinese and caucasian-american men

Abstract

Objectives To compare the cellular composition of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Chinese and Caucasian-American men. Methods Surgical specimens of the prostate were obtained from 9 Chinese and 8 Caucasian-American men undergoing cystoprostatectomy for invasive transitional cell carcinoma. The mean ages of the Chinese and Caucasian-American men were 66.8 years and 66.4 years, respectively ( P = 0.94). The mean prostate weight of the Chinese and Caucasian-American men was 53.4 g and 32.1 g, respectively ( P = 0.01). Double immunoenzymatic staining with antibodies against actin and prostatic acid phosphatase and computer-assisted color image analysis were performed on whole-mount tissue sections. The percent area density of smooth muscle (SM), connective tissue (CT), epithelium (E), and epithelial lumen (L) were obtained by analyzing 30 fields from each specimen. Results The mean percent area density of SM, CT, E, and L in the prostate of Chinese men was 32%, 9.1 %, 10.8%, and 48.5%, respectively. The mean percent area density of SM, CT, E, and L in the prostate of Caucasian-American men was 52.5%, 27.9%, 12.8%, and 7%, respectively. Overall, the prostates of Chinese men contained significantly more glandular lumen and significantly less SM and CT. Conclusions The present study demonstrates that the cellular composition of BPH in the prostates of Caucasian-American and Chinese men is different. These cellular differences may account for previously observed differences in the incidence of clinical BPH.