The evaluation of the prostate cancer and the bladder tumors incidence in autopsy series

OBJECTIVE: Epidemiological studies revealed that the incidence of latent prostate cancer differs significantly according to ethnicity and geographical location. Also the incidence of bladder cancer in autopsy series is not known either. Because relevant epidemiological data are lacking for the Turkish population, we undertook an autopsy study to assess the prevalence of prostate cancer, high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and bladder cancer.MATERIALS & METHOD: Prostate glands of 114 consecutive men who deceased of trauma and bladders of 125 cadavers (106 men, 19 women) were obtained at autopsy at the morgue department of Council of Forensic Medicine Istanbul. Eight sections were prepared for each prostate gland and were dehydrated, washed with xylene and were taken in parafine blocks. For each bladder, tissue samples from anterior wall, trigon and from posterior wall were taken. All sections were prepared for each prostate and bladder, and examined after staining with hematoxylin and eosin. Whole mount sectioning was not performed for the prostate.RESULTS: The mean and median ages were 57 (range, 25-86) and 58, respectively. The overall prevalence of incidental prostate cancer was 8.7 % and the incidence increased with age. The prevalence of prostate cancer in the 3rd, 4th, 5th,6th, 7th, and 8th decades was 0 %, 0%, 3.4 %, 8.3 %, 12 %, 13 % and 33 %, respectively. High grade PIN was detected in 7 % of the prostate glands. At the bladders, none of the 106 men and 19 women had any malignant changes either macroscopicly or microscopicly. Benign bladder lesions were detected in 36.8 % of the women and 10.3 % of the men. Those were mucosal metaplasic changes in 6 (5.5%) men and 4 (21%) women, and cystitis in 5 (4.1%) men and 3 (15.7%) women. For the cystitis cases, four were chronic, two were foliculer, one was polipoid and one was hemorraghic cystitis.