NUCLEAR CONTENT OF DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID IN THE EPITHELIUM OF HYPERTROPHIC PROSTATE AND PROSTATIC CARCINOMA

The deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content in cell nuclei was determined by miciospectrophotometry in the epithelium of the normal prostate, hypertrophic prostate and prostatic carcinoma. In the normal prostate, the DNA content was similar to that of the renal tubule which was employed as a control. The mean amount of DNA was within the diploid range and its histogram showed the normal distribution. In the prostatic hypertrophy, no significant difference from the normal prostate was demonstrated. Hormonal treatment induced, it present at all, only slight changes in the pattern of DNA values. The nuclear content of DNA in twelve cases of untreated prostatic carcinoma was demonstrated to be hyperdiploid in five cases and hypodiploid in one case. In the remaining six cases the DNA content was shown to be within the diploid range, but with a broader distribution than in case of normal prostate or prostatic hypertrophy. These findings in prostatic carcinoma differ considerably from those in carcinoma of organs other than the prostate. The hormonal treatment (estrogens and/or castration), especially administration of synthetic estrogen in retalively small doses (total dosis ranging 1.0-5.0g, 30-50mg per day), had a tendency to causeatransient scattering of the distribution of DNA content. In the majority of cases, the larger the estrogen-dosis, the more narrow was the distribution of the DNA content. In these cases the growth of the carcinoma was clinically observed to be inhibited.