Joseph Kovi

Ductal spread in prostatic carcinoma

The histologic appearances of ductal invasion were studied in 139 cases of prostatic adenocarcinoma diagnosed in the Department of Pathology, Howard University Hospital, during the period January 1980 through October 1983. Intraductal spread was found in almost half (48%) of the prostatic glands examined. Ductal spread was associated with the local extent (P < 0.001) rather than with the grade of the tumor (P < 0.01). Three distinct patterns of ductal penetration were recognized. The duct wall was completely destroyed in microinvasion. In foci of ductal permeation the integrity of the basement membrane was generally preserved, and the duct wall was infiltrated mainly by solitary tumor cells. When the tumor spread was by extension in continuity within the duct wall, the neoplastic cells appeared to grow between the pre‐existing epithelial layers. It was concluded that prostatic carcinoma cells have the ability to penetrate the wall of benign ducts and progressively replace the normal epithelial elements. In this process the general framework of the affected duct appears to be preserved. Cancer 56: 1566‐1573, 1985.

Large acinar atypical hyperplasia and carcinoma of the prostate

Step‐sections of 429 whole prostate glands were studied. Large acinar atypical hyperplasia was graded as mild, moderate, and severe based on the degree of cellular anaplasia. The relationship between atypical hyperplasia and prostatic carcinoma was investigated. There was a strong association between prevalence and grade of atypical hyperplasia and prostatic carcinoma in patients up to 60 years old. Beyond the age of 60 no association was detected. In the younger age groups (36 to 60 years) atypical hyperplasia was found in 86.8% of prostates with carcinoma, but only in 37.9% of benign glands. Corresponding figures for the over‐60 age group were 68.8% and 65.1%, respectively. A biologic explanation of the association between atypical hyperplasia and carcinoma in the younger age groups has been proposed. It was suggested that these men with atypical hyperplasia, particularly with severe atypical hyperplasia, have a greater risk for developing prostatic carcinoma.

The role of diet in prostate cancer.

This is a one-to-one, age- and race-matched case-control study involving 55 histologically confirmed black prostate cancer patients and 55 controls who were seen at three major hospitals in Washington, DC from 1982 to 1984. Personal interviews were conducted to obtain the number of times food items of specified serving size were consumed per week by cases and controls; the subjects were grouped according to the age periods 30-49 and 50 years and older. We then calculated the average daily consumption of each of 18 nutrients per 1,000 calories. There was a significant negative association between linoleic acid (p less than 0.04) for the 50 years and older group, thiamin (p less than 0.05) for those 30-49 years old, riboflavin (p less than 0.03) for the 50 and older group, and iron (p less than 0.05) for those 30-49 years old. The results of this study suggest that the intake of thiamin and iron (in subjects 30-49 years old), linoleic acid and riboflavin (in subjects 50 years and over) could be protective because control subjects consumed more of these nutrients than did the cases.

Neoplasms of the central nervous system. incidence and population selectivity in the Washington DC, metropolitan area.

During the period 1960 through 1969, 990 primary neoplasms of the central nervous system were diagnosed in hospitals in the Washington, DC, Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA). All cases were identified according to age, race, sex, histologic type, and date of diagnosis. A West African composite of 253 cases was used for comparison. In the Washington SMSA, the age‐adjusted incidence rates were: for Caucasians 5.5 in males and 3.6 in females and for Negroes 4.8 in males and 3.4 in females per 100,000 annual population. Caucasians in the Washington SMSA had a higher relative proportion of gliomas than Negroes in the same area and in Africa (p < 0.005). Negroes in the Washington SMSA and in Africa had a higher proportion of meningiomas compared with Caucasians (p < 0.005). The relative proportion of pituitary adenomas was higher in American Negroes (p < 0.005) and in Africans than in Caucasians. The comparable pattern of CNS tumors in American and African Negroes, relative to Caucasians, suggests that in the development of neoplasms of the central nervous system racial factors may be of importance.

Epidemiologic association between gonorrhea and prostatic carcinoma

The curves for death rates from prostatic cancer and gonorrhea incidence rates in Denmark, over a span of thirty years, matched well with a lag period of forty-five years. Moreover, a retrospective study conducted in the United States involving 75 cancer patients and 75 age-matched controls demonstrated a statistically significant association between gonorrheal infection and subsequent development of prostatic carcinoma. Two postulates are presented: the viral-venereal and the chronic infection theories. The recent increase in incidence of prostatic cancer in the United States could be the beginning of an epidemic in which astronomically high rates may be reached.

Blue nevus of the prostate: ultrastructural study

A case of blue nevus of the prostate in a sixty-five-year-old black patient was studied by light and electron microscopy. In the melanocytes only fully melanized melanosomes were present; melanosomes in early stages of development were entirely absent. It was concluded that the formation of melanosomes within the melanocytes in blue nevus of the prostate is probably under genetic control.

Incidence of prostatic calcification in blacks in Washington, D.C., and selected african cities Correlation of specimen roentgenographs and pathologic findings

The incidence of calcification in the prostate gland of black men from Washington, D.C., and from Ibadan, Nigeria, and Accra, Ghana, West Africa, was assessed in a total of 874 consecutive, unselected prostate specimens removed at autopsy during a five-year period (1973--1978). In the combined series there was a significant positive association between prostatic calcification and age (p less than 0.001). The frequency of calcification was significantly higher in the Washington, D.C. series than in the West African series at all age levels (p less than 0.001). This difference most likely reflects the different dietary patterns of the two population groups.

Melanosis of the dentate nucleus: fine structure and histochemistry.

SummaryUltrastructural and histochemical studies were done on a rare case of primary melanosis of the dentate nucleus. The coexistence of extraneuronal neuromelanin and glial lipofuscin in that region was observed and the interconvertability of these two pigments is suggested.

Mixed mesodermal tumor of urinary bladder: A Light and Electron Microscopic Study☆

Light and ultrastructural findings in a mixed mesodermal tumor of the urinary bladder are reported. The mesenchymal component of the tumor contained undifferentiated mesenchymal cells and cells with chondroblastic differentiation. The neoplastic chondrocytes displayed an abundance of cytoplasmic microfilaments and had a scalloped cell surface.

Adenosquamous Carcinoma of the Pancreas: A Light and Electron Microscopic Study

The light microscopic diagnosis of the tissue removed from the head of the pancreas of an 82-year-old woman was undifferentiated carcinoma. Ultrastructur-ally, the tumor was composed of poorly differentiated glandular and squamous epithelial elements. This is the first detailed electron microscopic study of an adenosquamous carcinoma of the pancreas.