Intermediate filament expression in prostate cancer

The human prostate is composed of a series of tubular-alveolar glands and their ducts surrounded by a fibromuscular stroma. The parenchymal glands secrete the seminal fluid and are anatomically arranged into the central, peripheral, and transitional zones. In this chapter the pattern of intermediate filament expression by the various epithelial components of the ducts, tubuloalveolar glands, and stroma are described. The changes which occur during malignant transformation from normal glands to prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and subsequent invasive carcinoma are presented. The usefulness of cytokeratin markers in the diagnosis of prostate carcinoma is also discussed.