Histochemical examination of expression of ras p21 protein and R 1881-binding protein in human prostatic cancers.

Expression of ras p21 was examined with monoclonal antibody RASK-3 in normal, benign hyperplasic, and cancerous prostates. In patients with stage D2 disease who received endocrine therapy, the relation between ras p21 expression, response to therapy, and prognosis was studied. In these patients, R 1881-binding protein (androgen receptor and progestin-binding protein) was also examined. Non-cancerous cells and most cancer cells from stage A patients did not express ras p21, while expression increased with both higher staging and grading. Staging pelvic lymphadenectomy was done in some stage A2-C cases, and presence of nodal metastasis was correlated with ras p21 expressions in the primary tumours. In stage D2, there was no correlation between ras p21 expression and R 1881-binding protein. Response to therapy and survival did not correlate with expression of ras p21, but was influenced by presence of R 1881-binding protein.