Primary cultures of human prostatic epithelial cells from transurethral resection specimens

The objective of this work was to design a simple and reproducible method of culturing human prostatic epithelial cells from attainable tissue. This type of system is essential for in vitro studies of prostatic cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The most readily available source of prostatic tissue is the transurethral prostatic resection (TURP). This tissue can be obtained at surgery and processed immediately in the laboratory using standard cell culture techniques. By detailed sectioning and careful histologic examination of the tissue which represented the mirror image of each explant that was cultured, we found that tissue containing viable glandular structure yielded epithelial outgrowths. Pieces of tissue that did not yield epithelial outgrowth were composed only of fibromuscular stroma or contained acini which were damaged (usually cauterized). We concluded that this type of system can be used routinely to study prostatic disease on an individual basis.