Unusual prostatic adenocarcinoma with endocrine basophilic FSH-immunoreactive cells

Abstract 

We report an unusual variant of prostatic adenocarcinoma with marked endocrine differentiation (mixed endocrine-exocrine adenocarcinoma). Endocrine cells accounted for 60% of the tumour cells, were positive with silver impregnation and for chromogranin A, synaptophysin, and neuron-specific enolase, and coexpressed the exocrine antigens prostatic acid phosphatase and prostatic-specific antigen. Most of the endocrine cells were basophilic with haematoxylin-eosin and proved immunoreactive for alpha subunit of human chorionic gonadotropin and follicle-stimulating hormone. The remaining endocrine cells were represented by eosinophilic cells positive for serotonin, and by calcitonin and serotonin-immunoreactive cells not identifiable in haematoxylin-eosin-stained sections. On ultrastructural analysis, two types of endocrine cells were identified. The most frequent cell type showed abundant cytoplasmic round, electron-dense neurosecretory granules, either small (212±44 nm) or large (471±114 nm), resembling those of gonadotropic pituitary cells. The second type of endocrine cells contained irregular electron-dense granules similar to those of serotonin-storing enterochromaffin cells.