Morphologic changes induced by neoadjuvant androgen ablation may result in underdetection of positive surgical margins and capsular involvement by prostatic adenocarcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
Neoadjuvant androgen ablation (NAAA) causes significant cytoarchitectural changes in both benign and malignant prostatic epithelial cells that may contribute to underdetection of prostate cancer capsular involvement and positive surgical margins.


METHODS
The aim of this study is to determine the ability of cytokeratin immunohistochemistry to enhance the determination of pathologic stage of prostate cancer following NAAA.


RESULTS
Cytokeratin AE1/AE3 immunohistochemistry identified 6 (27.3%), 15 (68.2%), 5 (22.7%), and 5 (22.7%) cases of organ-confined disease, capsule penetration, positive surgical margin, and seminal vesicle involvement, respectively, as compared with 10 (45.5%), 10 (45.5%), 3 (13.6%), and 5 (22.7%) cases by hematoxylin-eosin (H&E) staining, respectively. Two cases without detectable tumor by H&E staining had demonstrable residual tumor by cytokeratin immunohistochemical staining.


CONCLUSIONS
Cytokeratin immunohistochemistry revealed more extensive intracapsular, capsular, and extracapsular tumor involvement and higher rate of positive surgical margin than did conventional H&E staining. Therefore, the beneficial pathologic effects of NAAA observed may, in part, be attributable to the artifact of observation.
Bazinet
M
M
Department of Urology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Zheng
W
W
Bégin
L R
LR
Aprikian
A G
AG
Karakiewicz
P I
PI
Elhilali
M M
MM
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D000726:Androgen Antagonists / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology*
D000726:Androgen Antagonists