[Frequency and differential diagnosis of cribriform structures of the prostate]

Systematic investigations of the prostate in 450 autopsies of individuals who had lived to the age of 40 to 80 years as well as in 500 prostate biopsies and 480 so-called adenomectomies of the prostate led to detection of cribriform hyperplasia in 30 postmortems (7%), 6 biopsies (1.2%), and 5 adenomectomies (1%). The average age of all hyperplasia cases amounted to 69 years. Cribriform hyperplasia was recordable with and without cellular atypia. Most of the foci, single and multiple up to 4, were not larger than 25 mm2. Statistical calculations revealed good correlations with adenomatous and microglandular hyperplasia as well as with dysplasia of the prostate. A significant relationship was found to exist between cribriform hyperplasia and cellular atypia as well as with prostate carcinoma. Concomitantly recorded were 315 carcinomas, with 81 of these being of the pluriform type and with 68 of the latter (84%) exhibiting cribriform structures. Problems relating to differential diagnosis were found to result from the presence of both benign and malignant structures and are discussed in some detail.