[Diagnostic and prognostic significance of cytological malignancy grading of prostatic carcinoma]

Clinical staging and morphological grading are very important for treatment of prostatic carcinoma. In 1980 a German pathological-urological study group of prostate cancer completed a new cytological grading system. This system has grades I-III of malignancy, based on six cellular criteria, whose relevance for prognosis was shown by cellkinetical investigations. The present study demonstrates less "undergrading" from transrectal fine needle biopsy and cytological diagnosis than from punch-biopsy and histological diagnosis. The cytological grade correlates well with the local extent of the tumor and metastases to pelvic lymph nodes. Despite of the wellknown problems with morphological grading on a biopsy it gives us very important information.