Beyond the typical acinar morphology observed in the majority of prostatic adenocarcinomas, a spectrum of morphologic variants and prostate cancer subtypes exists. These unusual entities may be classified as: (1) cancer morphologies arising by divergent differentiation of prostatic ductal, acinar, or basal cells and associated with unique clinical features and/or therapeutic approaches, and (2) histologies occurring in the context of usual prostatic adenocarcinoma that may result in diagnostic misinterpretation or difficulties in Gleason grade assignment, especially in limited samples. This article details a number of variants, with emphasis on diagnostic criteria, differential diagnoses, and clinical significance.
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Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY
Reference: Adv Anat Pathol. 2012 Jul;19(4):204-16
doi: 10.1097/PAP.0b013e31825c6b92
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22692283