di Sant'Agnese P A, Cockett A T
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center, New York, USA.
Cancer. 1996 Jul 15;78(2):357-61. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1097-0142(19960715)78:2<357::AID-CNCR27>3.0.CO;2-U.
The prostatic neuroendocrine cell is a regulatory cell that produces serotonin and peptide hormones. This cell is part of a more widely dispersed diffuse neuroendocrine regulatory system known as the APUD system. Focal neuroendocrine differentiation is seen in virtually all prostate carcinomas to one degree or another. Specific malignancies that are purely neuroendocrine include small cell carcinoma and carcinoid/carcinoid-like tumors. A variety of studies suggest a possible prognostic significance of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate carcinoma.
The literature on the prostatic neuroendocrine cell and neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate carcinoma is reviewed.
Based on analogy with other better studied elements of the diffuse neuroendocrine regulatory system or APUD system, as well as the morphology and specific products produced by neuroendocrine cells, it is likely that they play an important regulatory role in the prostate. Neuroendocrine differentiation may be of prognostic significance in prostate carcinoma. Mechanisms are not well characterized at this point, but the known growth factor activity of the neuroendocrine cell products, an increase in proliferation in cells surrounding neuroendocrine cells, and a lack of androgen receptor expression in neuroendocrine cells, suggest mechanisms by which they may be of prognostic significance.
Neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate carcinoma may be of prognostic significance, but better methods to define neuroendocrine, differentiation are necessary. The therapeutic implications of neuroendocrine differentiation in prostate carcinoma may be of significance and need to be explored further.
前列腺神经内分泌细胞是一种能产生5-羟色胺和肽类激素的调节细胞。该细胞是一个分布更为广泛的弥散神经内分泌调节系统（即APUD系统）的一部分。几乎所有前列腺癌在某种程度上都可见局灶性神经内分泌分化。纯粹的神经内分泌特异性恶性肿瘤包括小细胞癌和类癌/类癌样肿瘤。多项研究表明神经内分泌分化在前列腺癌中可能具有预后意义。
对有关前列腺神经内分泌细胞及前列腺癌神经内分泌分化的文献进行综述。
基于与弥散神经内分泌调节系统或APUD系统中其他研究更充分的成分的类比，以及神经内分泌细胞的形态和产生的特定产物，它们很可能在前列腺中发挥重要的调节作用。神经内分泌分化在前列腺癌中可能具有预后意义。目前其机制尚未完全明确，但神经内分泌细胞产物已知的生长因子活性、神经内分泌细胞周围细胞增殖的增加以及神经内分泌细胞中雄激素受体表达的缺乏，提示了它们可能具有预后意义的机制。
前列腺癌中的神经内分泌分化可能具有预后意义，但需要更好的方法来定义神经内分泌分化。前列腺癌中神经内分泌分化的治疗意义可能很重要，需要进一步探索。
