[Neuroendocrine differentiation in adenocarcinoma of the prostate during hormonal treatment: a case report]

Neuroendocrine (NE) cells are widely distributed in the acini and ducts of the normal prostate gland and produce neurosecretory products, which affect growth, differentiation and regulation of secretory function. Prostatic NE carcinoma is a rare situation and the NE differentiation in prostate adenocarcinoma appears to be characterized by poor prognosis, rapid tumor progression and the androgen-independent state, for which there is currently no successful therapy. We report a case of NE differentiated prostatic carcinoma, which was diagnosed as adenocarcinoma initially and the tumor progressed rapidly with NE differentiation during androgen suppression therapy.