OBJECTIVETo investigate the expression and significance of Clusterin in normal prostate, benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer.

METHODSClusterin expression in samples of 12 normal prostate, 15 BPH, and 56 prostate cancer were studied by immunohistochemical stain.

RESULTSOf 83 cases, 67 are positive or weak positive (81%). The rate of positive or weak positive for normal prostate, BPH and prostate cancer was 17% (2/12), 73% (11/15), and 96% (54/56) respectively. The expression level of Clusterin in prostate cancer was much higher than in normal prostate (t = 8.82, P < 0.01). BPH (t = 7.63, P < 0.01) was related positively with pathological grade (r = 0.649, P < 0.01) and stage (r = 0.609, P < 0.01) of prostate cancer.

CONCLUSIONClusterin may play an important role in the biological characteristics of prostate cancer by the anti-apoptosis pathway.

Apoptosis ; Clusterin ; metabolism ; physiology ; Female ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Prostate ; metabolism ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; metabolism ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology

With the approaching of the aged society, the number of patients with BPH and those with prostate cancer is increasing, particularly the latter. As the gold standard for the treatment of the two diseases, prostate surgery falls into various types, each with its own characteristics in postoperative recovery of sexual function. In the past few years, the traditional laparotomy procedure has been gradually replaced by the laparoscopic technique. Doctors and patients are not merely satisfied with the improvement of micturition function any longer; they are beginning to pay more attention to the pre- and post-operative sexual function. This paper gives an overview of the influence of various types of prostatectomy on male sexual function.
Erectile Dysfunction ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Humans ; Male ; Postoperative Complications ; etiology ; physiopathology ; prevention & control ; Prostatectomy ; adverse effects ; methods ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; surgery ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; surgery

Endothelin (ET) is a peptide released by vascular endothelial cells. Except for the potent vasoconstrictor function it plays an important physiological role in tissue differentiation and development, cell proliferation and hormone production. Investigation of the role of ET axis in a variety of tumors such as prostatic, cervical, breast carcinoma has provided evidences of its importance in cancer, recently. Data suggest that multiple functions of the ET axis have associations with mitogenesis, apoptosis inhibition, angiogenesis, and activation of proto-oncogene. The ET axis relates to invasiveness, osteoblast function, and metastatic cancer pain in advanced prostate cancer.
Animals ; Apoptosis ; Endothelins ; physiology ; Humans ; Male ; Mice ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Receptors, Endothelin ; physiology

The circadian clock is an evolutionary molecular product that is associated with better adaptation to changes in the external environment. Disruption of the circadian rhythm plays a critical role in tumorigenesis of many kinds of cancers, including prostate cancer (PCa). Integrating circadian rhythm into PCa research not only brings a closer understanding of the mechanisms of PCa but also provides new and effective options for the precise treatment of patients with PCa. This review begins with patterns of the circadian clock, highlights the role of the disruption of circadian rhythms in PCa at the epidemiological and molecular levels, and discusses possible new approaches to PCa therapy that target the circadian clock.
Humans ; Male ; Carcinogenesis ; Circadian Clocks/physiology* ; Circadian Rhythm/physiology* ; Prostatic Neoplasms/physiopathology*

Objective To gain insight on how exercise affects the outcomes of prostate cancer patients treated with androgen deprivation therapy, specifically cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and quality of life (QoL).Methods Systematic searches for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of exercise on CRF and QoL of prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy were carried out to identify the eligible studies from EMBASE, PubMed and Cochrane library. Related data were extracted from eligible studies and then subjected to Reviewer Manage 5.3 for analysis. Standardized mean differences (SMD) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated.Results In all, 10 RCTs involving 841 prostate cancer patients (448 of whom exercised and 393 did not) were included in this study. With respect to CRF, there was good consistency among different studies, and it was remarkably reduced in the exercise group (SMD=-0.32, 95% CI: -0.45 to -0.18, P<0.00001, n=784). In regards to QoL, there was also good consistency among different studies, and it was also improved significantly in the exercise group (SMD=0.21, 95% CI: 0.08 to 0.34, P=0.002, n=841).Conclusion Exercise both reduced CRF and improved QoL in prostate cancer patients receiving androgen deprivation therapy.
Exercise Therapy ; methods ; Fatigue ; etiology ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; physiopathology ; therapy ; Quality of Life ; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Prostate cancer (PCa) preferentially metastasizes to the bone marrow stroma of the axial skeleton. This activity is the principal cause of PCa morbidity and mortality. The exact mechanism of PCa metastasis is currently unknown, although considerable progress has been made in determining the key players in this process. In this review, we present the current understanding of the molecular processes driving PCa metastasis to the bone.
Bone Neoplasms ; physiopathology ; secondary ; Cell Adhesion ; physiology ; Cell Movement ; physiology ; Chemokines ; physiology ; Humans ; Lipids ; physiology ; Male ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; physiopathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; pathology ; physiopathology

Animals ; Carcinoma, Neuroendocrine ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Carcinoma, Small Cell ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology ; Cell Differentiation ; Chromogranin A ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Neuroendocrine Cells ; metabolism ; pathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; physiopathology

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the key angiogenins which can increase microvascular permeability and promote endothelial cell migration, proliferation and tube formation. This paper reviews the location of VEGF in the prostate, testicular and epididymis tissues, the modulation of VEGF expression, and the relationship between VEGF-induced angiogenesis changes and some diseases in the male reproduction system.
Humans ; Male ; Neovascularization, Physiologic ; Prostate ; blood supply ; Prostatic Hyperplasia ; physiopathology ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; blood supply ; Testis ; blood supply ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A ; physiology

Prostate cancer is one of the common cancers in old men. Androgen ablation is a major option for the treatment of the metastatic diseases. However, most of the cancers progress to a more aggressive stage, so-called androgen-independent (or hormone refractory) relapse beyond any cure. The androgen receptor (AR) is an important factor in regulating the differentiation and proliferation of prostate epithelial cells, and also plays a critical role in cellular survival. Studies have demonstrated that aberrant activation of the AR is a major determinant in prostate cancer progression. We have provide a brief summary of AR-mediated cellular survival and an introduction to the advances of RNA interference techniques in silencing AR expression as a novel therapy for prostate cancer.
Apoptosis ; physiology ; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; genetics ; pathology ; physiopathology ; RNA Interference ; Receptors, Androgen ; genetics ; physiology

Advanced prostate cancer is responsive to hormone therapy that interferes with androgen receptor (AR) signalling. However, the effect is short-lived, as nearly all tumours progress to a hormone-refractory (HR) state, a lethal stage of the disease. Intuitively, the AR should not be involved because hormone therapy that blocks or reduces AR activity is not effective in treating HR tumours. However, there is still a consensus that AR plays an essential role in HR prostate cancer (HRPC) because AR signalling is still functional in HR tumours. AR signalling can be activated in HR tumours through several mechanisms. First, activation of intracellular signal transduction pathways can sensitize the AR to castrate levels of androgens. Also, mutations in the AR can change AR ligand specificity, thereby allowing it to be activated by non-steroids or anti-androgens. Finally, overexpression of the wild-type AR sensitizes itself to low concentrations of androgens. Therefore, drugs targeting AR signalling could still be effective in treating HRPC.
Androgen Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Androgens ; physiology ; Humans ; Ligands ; Male ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Receptors, Androgen ; physiology ; Signal Transduction ; physiology