Relationship between prostatic cytoplasmic and nuclear androgen receptors in patients with carcinoma of the prostate.

Cytoplasmic and nuclear androgen receptors were measured in benign prostatic hypertrophy, untreated malignant prostates and diethylstilboestrol-treated malignant prostates. The levels of total androgen receptors in benign prostatic hypertrophy were not statistically different from those in the untreated or treated malignant prostates. Free cytoplasmic androgen receptors constituted only a small proportion of the total receptor concentration. A significantly higher level of free cytoplasmic receptors were present in the treated malignant prostates in comparison to the untreated ones. A significant positive correlation was observed between the total cytoplasmic and nuclear androgen receptors in both treated and untreated patients. A significant correlation was also observed between free cytoplasmic and total nuclear androgen receptors in untreated patients.