Cytoplasmic and Nuclear Androgen Receptor Content of Normal and Neoplastic Human Prostates and Lymph Node Metastases of Human Prostatic Adenocarcinoma*

Abstract

Cytoplasmic and nuclear androgen receptors were quantitated in specimens of histologically normal and adenocarcinomatous human prostate and lymph node metastases of prostatic adenocarcinoma. Normal human pelvic lymph nodes did not have androgen receptors. One patient specimen did not have cytoplasmic androgen receptors, and 3 additional patient specimens showed predominant nuclear localization of androgen receptors. The remaining 88‰ (30 of 34 specimens) of the patient specimens showed either essentially equal distribution between the 2 compartments or predominant cytoplasmic localization of prostatic androgen receptors. Total androgen receptor content was related to epithelial cell content of prostate specimens composed of either glandular hyperplasia or mixed glandular and stromal hyperplasia. Some specimens of primary prostatic adenocarcinoma could be included in this group of tissues. However, prostate specimens principally composed of stromal hyperplasia could not be included. The mean androgen receptor content of all carcinomatous prostate specimens was not significantly different from that of all noncarcinomatous prostate specimens when expressed as receptor content per g tissue or per 100 μg DNA. When specimens of carcinomatous and noncarcinomatous tissue from the same prostate were compared, androgen receptor content (femtomoles per 100 μg DNA) of the carcinomatous tissue was consistently decreased. Our data demonstrate that prostatic interstitium and noncarcinomatous epithelium contain androgen receptors which may significantly contribute to androgen receptor values measured in specimens of primary prostatic adenocarcinoma. In the absence of methodology to assess the magnitude of this contribution, the prognostic utility of prostatic androgen receptor determinations may be compromised. The use of metastatic deposits of prostatic adenocarcinoma to assess androgen receptor status may have advantage.