Nuclear volume estimates in prostatic atypical adenomatous hyperplasia.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate nuclear volume estimates by the point-sampled intercepts method in atypical adenomatous hyperplasia (AAH) as compared with nodular hyperplasia and well-differentiated prostatic adenocarcinoma.


METHODS
The study group consisted of 27 formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, whole-mounted radical prostatectomy specimens that contained foci of nodular hyperplasia, atypical adenomatous hyperplasia and well-differentiated adenocarcinoma (Gleason pattern 1 and 2). Representative sections were selected for stereologic estimation of volume-weighted mean nuclear volume by the point-sampled intercepts method. On each focus, an average of five fields of vision were systematically chosen.


RESULTS
The quantitative results indicate an increase in nuclear volume from nodular hyperplasia (209 +/- 65 micron 3) to AAH (237 +/- 85 micron 3) and prostate adenocarcinoma (436 +/- 106 micron 3). Significant differences were found (F = 39.0, P < .001) with two group comparisons (Scheffe's procedure) between prostate cancer and AAH (P < .001) or nodular hyperplasia (P < .001). The difference between AAH and benign hyperplasia was not signifcant.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that three-dimensional estimates of the nuclear size discriminate AAH and nodular hyperplasia from well-differentiated prostate adenocarcinoma. These findings suggest that AAH is probably a histologic variant of benign prostatic hyperplasia the exact relationship of which to prostatic adenocarcinoma remains to be determined.
López-Beltrán
A
A
Histology Section, Department of Morphological Sciences, Córdoba University Medical School, Spain. em1lobea@lucano.uco.es
Artacho-Pérula
E
E
Luque-Barona
R J
RJ
Roldán-Villalobos
R
R
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000473:pathology; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002454:Cell Differentiation; D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016612:Paraffin Embedding; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000473:pathology; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011470:Prostatic Hyperplasia / Q000473:pathology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D016707:Tissue Fixation