Histopathological features of prostatic carcinoma in a Southwest tertiary institution in Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The diagnosis of prostatic adenocarcinoma is often straightforward, in some cases there may be benign lesions that mimic prostatic cancer histologically. This study aimed to describe the morphological features of prostatic carcinoma from laboratory specimens. Methods: This was a retrospective study using histologically diagnosed cases of prostatic carcinoma from prostatectomy and trucut biopsy specimens. The histological sub-typing of the tumors according to WHO classification scheme of 2003 was done. The tumors were graded and scored using Gleason’s scoring scheme revised and modified at the consensus conference of the international society of urological pathology (ISUP), in 2005. Results: Prostate cancer constituted 18.7% of all malignant tumors and 4.4% of all neoplastic diseases. The majority of cases were small acinar adenocarcinoma 275 (73.7%). Others include pseudo-hyperplastic variant 47 (12.6%), atrophic variant 35 (9.3%), foamy gland carcinoma 16 (4.2%) and signet ring/colloid carcinoma 1(0.2%). More than half were classified as well-differentiated Gleason prognostic group A tumors. There was a statistically significant association between the age of the patient and the Gleason histologic grade and the histologic grade and histologic variant p<0.05. Conclusions: Prostatic carcinoma was thought to be a malignancy associated with elderly men but people of younger age less than fifty years are now diagnosed with the malignancy. Accurate diagnosis with the right grade and scores will go a long way in the management of the malignancy.