title: Prostate cancer with aberrant diffuse p63 expression: report of a case and review of the literature and morphologic mimics.
abstract: We report a case of a prostatic adenocarcinoma that showed diffuse aberrant p63 expression in the secretory cells and review the literature and differential diagnosis. p63-positive prostatic adenocarcinoma is rare and is typically encountered when working up an atypical focus with basal markers and α-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase. These carcinomas have unusual morphologic features such as atrophic cytoplasm and basaloid morphology. The differential diagnosis includes basal cell hyperplasia and basal cell carcinoma; morphologic features such as the presence of small, infiltrative acini with nuclear atypia, lack of high-molecular-weight cytokeratin expression, and positive α-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase and prostate-specific antigen expression can help distinguish a p63-positive prostatic adenocarcinoma from atypical basal cell proliferations. Current controversies regarding the grading, prognosis, and molecular profile of p63-positive prostatic adenocarcinomas are also discussed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, USA.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Lakshmi P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Kunju
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002280:Basal Cell Carcinoma / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D007633:Keratins / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D011379:Prognosis; D011467:Prostate / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D019998:Racemases and Epimerases / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C081876:CKAP4 protein, human; D008565:Membrane Proteins; D007633:Keratins; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen; D019998:Racemases and Epimerases