In aging men, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) are the most common prostatic diseases. These diseases are androgen-dependent and are treated by inhibiting androgens or their action. However recent studies have shown that prostate growth is also influenced by estrogen. Estrogen induction of cell proliferation which plays a crucial role in hormone dependent tumors like breast and uterus is now also thought to play a significant role in normal and abnormal growth of the prostate gland. The role of estrogen receptor Beta (ER β) in the pathogenesis or prognosis of PCa is unclear, it seems to have a role in the control of proliferation and the prevention of hyperplasia. This study was initiated to determine the expression of ER beta in BPH and PCa as only few studies had been done. Twenty nine cases each of TURP specimens of BPH and PCa were included in the study. The tumors were categorized as low, intermediate and high grade on their gleasons score. In BPH cases 93.1% of them were ER beta positive and 6.9% were ER beta negative. However in adenocarcinoma group only 3.4% were ER beta positive and 96.6% were ER beta negative. This observation was statistically significant. Elderly age group is most commonly affected with BPH and Adenocarcinoma of prostate. Based on the results of the present study, ER beta seemed to play a definitive role in the carcinogenesis. Estrogen beta is hypothesized to be involved in the carcinogenesis neoplastic progression of adenocarcinoma of prostate and underlying pathogenesis of BPH.
