Pathologic 'fused gland' as a prognostic factor for prostate cancer

We examined the significance of a pathologic 'fused gland' according to the WHO-Mostofi classification for predicting prognosis in hormonally treated prostate cancer. Of 284 newly diagnosed patients receiving hormone therapy, 60 patients had specimens with no 'medullary' or 'column-cord' elements. Twenty-five of these had a 'fused gland', while 35 did not. Survival of these patients was analyzed. Cause-specific survival of the patients with no medullary or column-cord elements showed a significantly better prognosis compared to others. Furthermore, the patients whose specimens contained a 'fused gland' component had significantly poorer survival than those without that component, suggesting that the 'fused gland' component is a poor prognostic factor for survival in patients with hormonally treated prostate cancer.