[Histologic grading of primary prostatic carcinoma--study of Gleason histologic grading]

Gleason histologic grading for prostatic carcinoma was evaluated in a retrospective analysis. The present study comprises 98 cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma followed from January, 1973 to December, 1985. Histological materials were obtained by needle biopsy, transurethral resection or by suprapubic prostatectomy. Such slides were examined by a pathologist without previous knowledge of the patients and were assigned according to the General Rules for Clinical and Pathological Studies on Prostatic Cancer (1985) or Gleason system. Most patients fell within a Gleason score of 6, 7 and 8, and had a correspondingly high stage tumors. The survival rate for the patients was analyzed according to Gleason score. Because of the small numbers of patients some scores were combined. There were no cancer deaths for the 15 patient with a Gleason score under 5. Patients with a higher score (9-10) had a poorer prognosis (32% of survival rate at 2,234 days), but there was no significant correlation between a Gleason score of 6, 7 or 8, or that of a higher score (9-10) and survival rate.