[Non-neoplastic alterations of the prostate. Why should pathologists know them?]

Non-neoplastic changes in the prostatic gland include inflammatory, atrophic, hyperplastic and metaplastic reaction patterns of the glandular epithelium and the fibromuscular stroma. Furthermore, histoanatomical structures from outside the prostatic gland are sometimes included in biopsy material. Knowledge of the morphological appearance of benign, reactive lesions is important in order to differentiate them from malignancies. To this aim knowing the precise location of tissue sampling as well as ancillary immunohistochemical investigations are often useful or necessary.