Bone marrow metastasis of prostatic adenocarcinoma with post-treatment foamy-like changes: A diagnostic pitfall.

Overview

Prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma (PAA) is the most common malignant tumour of the male genital system. Hormonal therapy and radiotherapy are widely-used treatment modalities in advanced stage disease. However, with hormonal therapy, the morphology of the neoplastic cells can be altered with a shift towards benign-appearing cells with inconspicuous nucleoli and abundant cytoplasm. When the tumour spreads to the bone marrow, these neoplastic cells can mimic foamy histiocytes, which may lead to a misdiagnosis. This becomes more challenging if a concurrent bone marrow malignancy is identified. Attention should be paid if foamy cells are detected in bone marrow, particularly if the patient has a history of PAA. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of simultaneous bone marrow involvement by metastatic PAA with mimicking foamy histiocytes and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma.

Canadian Urological Association journal = Journal de l'Association des urologues du Canada Journal