Infections and inflammation in prostate cancer

Abstract

The frequent observation of both acute and chronic inflammation of unknown stimulus in the adult prostate has motivated a large body of research aimed at identifying potential infectious agents that may elicit prostatic inflammation. The overarching hypothesis is that infection-induced inflammation may be associated with prostate cancer development or progression, as inflammation is known to serve as an "enabling characteristic" of cancer. With recent advances in molecular techniques for microorganism identification, a panoply of microorganisms has been scrutinized in prostate tissues and in relation to prostate carcinogenesis. The aim of this review is to summarize the current literature on the evidence for infectious agents as a contributing factor to prostatic inflammation and prostate cancer, and to highlight recent literature suggesting an infectious etiology to the biogenesis of prostatic corpora amylacea and on the development of mouse models of prostatic infections.

Keywords: Infections; acute inflammation; animal models; chronic inflammation; prostate cancer; prostatitis.

Figure 1

An example of the peripheral zone of the prostate from a radical prostatectomy specimen showing both acute and chronic inflammation in the setting of inflammatory atrophy.

Figure 2

Corpora amylacea in a prostatectomy specimen shown along with areas of prostatic atrophy and chronic inflammation. We hypothesize that the presence of corpora amylacea in the adult prostate serves as an indicator of past acute inflammatory events, possibly due to previous prostatic infections.