Small cell carcinoma of the prostate: molecular basis and clinical implications.
Small cell carcinoma of the prostate (PSCC) is a rare and highly aggressive malignancy with a dismal prognosis. Most patients present with advanced disease, including metastases to bone, viscera, and the central nervous system. Histologically, PSCC is indistinguishable from its pulmonary counterpart. Although PSCC may occur in pure form, as in small cell lung carcinoma, it also occurs in conjunction with conventional glandular prostate carcinoma, and may evolve from conventional adenocarcinoma during the course of hormonal therapy. Immunohistochemical staining is extremely helpful in establishing the diagnosis, a prerequisite, as in small cell lung cancer, for optimal therapeutic strategy. Currently, combinations of surgical resection, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy represent the main treatment options. Improvement in survival may depend upon the identiﬁcation of new molecular markers to facilitate earlier diagnosis and the development of novel targeted therapies. This review will discuss general aspects of PSCC, focusing on ways in which our understanding of PSCC has been advanced by studies of the histopathologic, immunohistochemical and molecular alterations in this disease.
Department of Pathology, and Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
Lisha
L
Wang
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Darrell D
DD
Davidson
Institute of Pathological Anatomy and Histopathology, School of Medicine, Polytechnic University of the Marche Region (Ancona), United Hospitals, Ancona, Italy.
Rodolfo
R
Montironi
Department of Pathology, Cordoba University, Cordoba, Spain.
Antonio
A
Lopez-Beltran
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Shaobo
S
Zhang
Department of Pathology, Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI, USA.
Sean R
SR
Williamson
Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
Gregory T
GT
MacLennan
Department of Pathology, and Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China.
Chaofu
C
Wang
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Mingsheng
M
Wang
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA.
Robert E
RE
Emerson
Department of Pathology, and Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China. dx2008cn@163.com.
Xiang
X
Du
Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. liang_cheng@yahoo.com.
Liang
L
Cheng
D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology*