Comparative Histopathological Characterization of Prostate Cancer in Saudi Arabia

Both benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer are age-related diseases in males that develop late in life. The human prostate gland contains several different zones. BPH typically arises within the transitional zone (Tz), whereas prostate cancer predominantly occurs in the peripheral zone (Pz) (Zhao et al., 2009). The reason why both these diseases arise in different zones is unclear, but changes in stromal-epithelial signaling, receptor and enzyme expression might have a role. The activation of local estrogen receptor β (ERβ) is required to prevent BPH. In prostate cancer, however, the activation of ERβ appears to be beneficial (McPherson et al., 2010). The activation of ER promotes the development of inflammation which can stimulate the aromatase enzyme and result in the further activation of ERα (Figure 1). The enlargement of the prostate gland is the result of benign hyperplasia (Goldstein et al., 2010). Prostate cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide. It is increasing significantly in the developed countries and most common cause of cancer death in the men (Ferlay et al., 2010). Environmental factors constitute a large influence on the development of human cancers. 90% of all cancers could be preventable, if no environmental carcinogenic factors existed. The host is influenced by various factors such as genetic factors, gender, age and nutritional state (Pourmand et al., 2007; Park et al., 2008). Prostate biopsy is a procedure in which small needle-