Radiation injury of the normal and neoplastic prostate

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1982 · Am. J. Surg. Pathol.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1097/00000478-198209000-00006· OSTI ID:6121173

Bostwick, D G; Egbert, B M; Fajardo, L F

Tissue samples from 40 patients with prostatic adenocarcinoma treated by radiation therapy were evaluated simultaneously by three observers to establish criteria for distinguishing residual tumor from radiation-induced atypia. Sections from 10 patients irradiated for nonprostatic pelvic neoplasms served as controls in addition to pretreatment biopsies from the determinate group. Patients had been treated by external x-irradiation, the majority receiving 6200-7400 rad to the prostate and pelvis over 7 to 8 weeks. Positive (tumor) biopsy incidence in the determinate group was 80% at 18 months, 40% at 36 months, and 43% in later samples. The following features were characteristic of radiation injury in the prostate: decreased ratio of the number of tumor glands to stroma, atrophy and squamous-like metaplasia of non-neoplastic glands with or without atypia, stromal fibrosis, arterial lumenal narrowing due to myointimal proliferation, foam cells within vessel walls, and fibrosis and atrophy of seminal vesicles. Criteria not useful for diagnosing radiation injury included architectural pattern or differentiation of tumor, cytologic features of tumor cells, inflammatory infiltrate, and ratio of normal glands to stroma. Ionizing radiation produced characteristic lesions in neoplastic and non-neoplastic prostatic glands, stroma, and blood vessels, and the sum of these changes was a reliable indicator of prior radiotherapy. An understanding of the morphologic effects of radiation injury of the prostate allowed distinction between residual prostatic adenocarcinoma and radiation-induced atypia of non-neoplastic glands.

• Research Organization: The Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
• OSTI ID: 6121173
• Journal Information: Am. J. Surg. Pathol.; (United States), Vol. 6:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
BLOOD VESSELS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CARCINOMAS
RADIOTHERAPY
MALE GENITALS
SIDE EFFECTS
ATROPHY
FIBROSIS
PATIENTS
PROSTATE
RADIATION DOSES
RADIOINDUCTION
X RADIATION
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BODY
CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
DISEASES
DOSES
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
GLANDS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEDICINE
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEAR MEDICINE
ORGANS
PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS
RADIOLOGY
THERAPY
550603* - Medicine- External Radiation in Therapy- (1980-)
560151 - Radiation Effects on Animals- Man