Use of laser capture microdissection, cDNA microarrays, and tissue microarrays in advancing our understanding of prostate cancer.

One difficulty in studying epithelial tumors has been the inability to isolate pure samples for DNA and RNA analysis. Prostate cancer, with its infiltrative nature, is particularly challenging. The Combination of several new technologies should help overcome these hurdles. Laser capture microdissection uses a laser beam to achieve transfer of pure cell populations for isolation of DNA, RNA, and protein. High-throughput analysis of these samples can be achieved by using cDNA expression microarrays. High-density tissue microarrays should allow for validation of differentially expressed genes. This review will concentrate on the application of laser capture microdissection, cDNA microarrays, and tissue microarrays in the area of prostate cancer research.