Autopsy study of prostatic weight and lesions in LUTH: a 12 month prospective study

Diseases of the prostate are common among adult Nigerians with some, clinically asymptomatic during life.

The study is to determine the prostatic weight and document the histopathologic patterns, frequency, and age distribution of clinically asymptomatic prostatic lesions seen at autopsy in LUTH, Lagos, Nigeria over a 12 month period (January to December 2009).

Consisted of hospital case files and prostate glands harvested en bloc from all autopsies in men aged 20 years and above who died of other causes other than clinically diagnosed prostate disease in LUTH within the study period. After en block removal, the prostate glands were fixed in formalin, weighed, sectioned at 3-5mm intervals, processed and embedded in paraffin. Whole mount serial sections were stained with H& E and examined.

Only 145 prostate glands were suitable for histological evaluation. There was an increasing prostatic weight with age. The distribution of identified prostatic lesions showed 75 (51.7%) having no histological diagnosis. Acute and chronic prostatitis accounted for 2 (2.9%) each, benign prostatic hyperplasia alone, 52 (74.2%) while benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) associated with chronic prostatitis accounted for 7 (10%). Latent prostate cancerwas found in 7 (10%) of the cases.

Prostate weight increased with age. Acute prostatitis was found to be commoner in the younger age groups, particularly below 50 years while chronic prostatitis was seen more in the older men and was largely associated with BPH. BPH was found to be the commonest lesion. Latent carcinoma showed a prevalence of 10%, which is significant and in keeping with similar studies done elsewhere.