The presence of benign prostatic glands in perineural spaces

The close neural-epithelial interaction seen in cases of prostatic carcinoma often is a criterion for malignancy. In a retrospective histological study of 26 nonneoplastic prostate glands obtained at autopsy benign glands were found in the perineural spaces in 6. In 5 of these cases the glands were cytologically benign, with a double layer of epithelial cells without nuclear pleomorphism, hyperchromatism and eosinophilic nucleoli. The remaining case involved an atrophic gland. Owing to the small size, nuclear hyperchromatism and, sometimes, crowded architectural arrangement atrophic glands may mimic malignant glands. This could be a potential cause of concern for the surgical pathologist when these glands appear around nerves. Perineural invasion should be interpreted cautiously when used as a criterion for malignancy.