HMWCK : Benign Glands
Section Editor: Dharam M. Ramnani, MD
Virginia Urology, Richmond, VA, USA
Image Description
Benign prostatic glands contain basal cells in between the acinar epithelial cells and the basement membrane. They are not myoepithelial cells and are believed to be the source of stem cells in the prostate. Basal cells contain high molecular weight cytokeratin - an intermediate filament protein in the cytoplasm - which can be detected by several antibodies including 34bE12 (shown here), CK5/6, and CK14). Basal cells are absent in prostate cancer.