Prognostic factors in prostate cancer: key elements in structured histopathology reporting of radical prostatectomy specimens

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most common visceral cancer and the second most common cause of cancer death in males. The number of radical prostatectomies performed each year is increasing and accurate data from the histopathological examination of these specimens aid clinicians in stratifying patients for surveillance and adjuvant therapies. This review focuses on the histopathological prognostic factors which should be routinely recorded in pathology reports and complements the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia Structured Reporting Protocol for Prostate Cancer (Radical Prostatectomy). Such structured pathology reports have been shown to significantly enhance the completeness and quality of data provided to clinicians. The review also discusses the International Society for Urological Pathology Consensus Conference recommendations which were published recently.