Assessment of Gleason system use on different types of prostatic tissue samples

One of the well-known and accepted methods of prostatic adenocarcinoma grading is Gleason system. The authors made a retrospective analysis of 221 prostatic adenocarcinomas divided into three groups (transvesical prostatectomies, transurethral resections and needle biopsies) following the type of surgical procedure used for drawing the tissue. Gleason scores and comparison between odd and even Gleason scores were assessed in the entire group and in each subgroup. High scores prevailed, meaning a tendency towards a low grade of differentiation. Even scores also prevailed meaning, on one hand, that, often, the examined specimen reveals only one pattern and, on the other hand, that surgical procedures as transurethral resections and unique needle biopsies cannot offer a sufficient material for examination, the multicentricity of prostatic carcinoma being well known.