Reactive Stroma in Prostatic Carcinoma and Correlation with Tumor Grade and Tumor Stage

Reactive stroma co-evolves with prostatic carcinoma. The aim of this study is to establish stromal changes in the prostatic cancer tissue and to quantify those changes. Samples from 70 patients treated with radical prostatectomy due to prostatic cancer were used for this analysis. Stromal changes in prostatic cancer tissue were analyzed using histochemical stain Trichrome Masson and immunohistochemical stains Vimentin and Desmin and those changes were compared to the stromal composition in the surrounding benign prostatic hyperplasia. These changes were quantified as following: for the histochemical stain Trichrome Masson we measured the intensity of the stain and for the immunohistochemical stains Vimentin and Desmin we used the “stromal index” that combines the frequency and intensity of the signal. We correlated the received data between each parameters and with tumor grade and tumor stage using the Spearman rank correlation test. There was significant correlation between Trichrome Masson staining intensity and tumor grade (R=0,27 p=0,023) and tumor stage (R=0,24 p=0,049), between Vimentin expression and tumor grade (R=0,35 p=0,003) and tumor stage (R=0,28 p=0,019) and between Desmin expression and tumor grade (R=−0,25 p=0,035). Analyses of the stromal composition and the expression of stromal markers in prostatic carcinoma and their quantification could serve as an additional tool in evaluation of tumor aggressiveness and tumor extension.