Enzyme Activity and Distribution in the Hyperplastic and Cancerous Human Prostate

Abstract

A biochemical and histochemical study of acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, nonspecific esterases, aminopeptidase and β-glucuronidase in human hyperplastic and cancerous prostatic tissue revealed that the quotient between the activities of acid phosphatase and β-glucuronidase in cancerous tissue was only 10% of that in hyperplastic tissue. The difference is probably due mainly to a histochemically demonstrated lower activity of acid phosphatase in the cancerous tissue. In soft tissue metas-tases in 2 patients the acid phosphatase/ β-glucuronidase quotient was of the same magnitude as that in the patient's primary prostatic carcinoma. In 2 cases the prostate showed metastases from other organs. In these secondaries the quotient differed considerably from that found in primary carcinomas of the prostate. The above novel observation may be of value in the identification of extra-prostatic metastases.