Calcitoninlike immunoreactive and bombesinlike immunoreactive endocrine-paracrine cells of the human prostate.

Calcitoninlike immunoreactive and bombesinlike immunoreactive endocrine-paracrine (EP) cells are reported for the first time, to our knowledge, in the human prostate gland and urethra. While calcitoninlike immunoreactive and bombesinlike immunoreactive EP cells account for only a small percentage of the total number of prostatic and urethral EP cells, they underscore the heterogeneity and potential significance of these cells. Prostatic and urethral EP cells may well play an important role not only in the normal state but in such diverse pathologic conditions as infertility, nodular hyperplasia, and prostatic malignancy.