Simultaneous tumour-like, atypical basal cell hyperplasia and acinar adenocarcinoma of the prostate: a comparative morphological and genetic approach

Abstract

Basal cell tumours of the prostatic gland are rare, and the classification is difficult. In the present case report, a large, tumour-like proliferation of atypical basaloid cells was found incidentally in a prostatectomy specimen that otherwise contained a conventional acinar adenocarcinoma. The basaloid cells displayed a solid or adenoid-cystic growth pattern and strongly expressed high-molecular-weight cytokeratins and bcl-2. A high Ki-67 index was recorded within the atypical basaloid cells, by far exceeding the one counted in the conventional adenocarcinoma. However, there were no definite criteria for a malignant behaviour of the basal cell tumour. Comparative genomic hybridisation from microdissected tumour cells yielded losses at the short arms of chromosomes 8 and 12 in the conventional adenocarcinoma and a normal karyotype in the basal cell tumour. The pathological findings favoured the diagnosis of an atypical basal cell hyperplasia.