The Symphony protocol for H&E staining of prostatic adenocarcinoma on needle biopsy: a multicentre analysis of 120...

The diagnosis of prostate carcinoma is based on a constellation of architectural, nuclear, cytoplasmic, and ancillary features. The aim of this study was to determine if the Ventana Symphony H&E protocol can improve on the detection of prominent nucleoli in foci of prostate cancer.

One hundred and twenty cases of Gleason score 3 + 3 = 6 cancers involving 10-30% of one core were retrieved from four academic institutions and two large laboratories (20 cases per institution). The routine H&E and Symphony H&E protocol stained slides from the same case were reviewed centrally in a blinded fashion at the Johns Hopkins Hospital. The mean percentages of prominent nucleoli in malignant and benign glands by visual estimation were recorded for each case. After unblinding, the routine H&E slides were compared in a pair-wise t-test with the corresponding Symphony stained slide.

Within all sites, the Symphony slides showed statistically significantly more prominent nucleoli in the malignant glands than the routine slides.

The Symphony H&E staining protocol consistently highlights nucleoli in cancer to a greater extent than routine H&E stains and may increase the likelihood of making a diagnosis of limited adenocarcinoma of the prostate in challenging cases.