Cryptococcal Prostatitis Forming Caseous and Suppurative Granulomas Diagnosed by Needle Biopsy: A Case Report

Cryptococcal granulomatous prostatitis is extremely rare, and there have been few reports of its diagnosis by prostate needle biopsy. The patient, an 81–year–old man, was receiving immunosuppressive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. He had an oropharyngeal ulcer, and it was diagnosed alongside a methotrexate-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A systemic imaging examination revealed a prostatic tumor-like mass clinically suspected to be prostatic cancer, and a needle biopsy was performed. The biopsy specimen showed various types of inflammatory cell infiltration, and suppurative granuloma and caseous granuloma were observed. Both granulomas showed multiple round and oval organisms that were revealed with Grocott methenamine silver staining. Acid–fast bacilli were not detected by Ziehl–Neelsen staining. We histologically diagnosed granulomatous prostatitis caused by Cryptococcus infection. Caseous granulomas often develop in the prostate after bacillus Calmette–Guerin immunotherapy for bladder cancer, although the possibility of cryptococcal granulomatous prostatitis should also be considered.

Comparative prostate MRI before and after chronic granulomatous prostatitis following intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guérin therapy

Background: Granulomatous prostatitis (GnP) is an interesting complication of bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) therapy as it mimics prostate cancer on clinical, biochemical and imaging examinations. In the era of multiparametric prostate MRI (mpMRI), differentiation of GnP from prostate cancer on imaging is essential. Case presentation: We report a case of post-BCG GnP in a patient with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer, presenting with a prostate-specific antigen level of 21.6 ng/ml and prostate imaging reporting and data system (PI-RADS) 5 peripheral lesions. A mpMRI performed 6 months before showed a score 2 of PI-RADS. Conclusion: The comparison of mpMRI images before and after BCG administration gives urologists, oncologists and radiologists a precise idea of the mpMRI changes that occur following BCG administration to eventually prevent unnecessary biopsies in future patients.

Epidemiological study of granulomatous prostatitis in a tertiary hospital: Associated risk factors and relationship with prostate cancer

Objective: The primary objective was to estimate the incidence of granulomatous prostatitis (GP) in Son Espases University Hospital, a tertiary care hospital, in Palma de Mallorca (Spain). As secondary objectives, presence of concomitant PCa in the biopsy was analyzed, as well as the history of previous BCG instillations, biopsy origin, urinary symptoms, and cardiovascular risk (CV) factors. Methods: A descriptive retrospective study of GP and the aforedescribed variables were carried out from 2010 to 2017. Results: A total of 3651 histopathological prostate specimens were analyzed, 39 of which were diagnosed with GP (incidence of 1.06%). Lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) were present in a 48.7% and previous history of bladder tumor resection (TURBT) was present in 35.9% of the cases. Also, urinary tract infections were equally present. All cases with prior TURBT had intravesical instillations with BCG, although 5 (12.8%) and 4 (10.3%) cases had abnormal rectal examination and elevated PSA levels after instillations, respectively. Finally, in 14 cases (35.9%) there was also a diagnosis of concomitant PCa. The most common CV risk factor in these patients was smoking (79.5%) followed by hypertension (64.8%). Conclusions: The estimated incidence of GP in our center (1.06%)g is close to that described by other authors. About 14 cases were diagnosed with PCa (35.9%), a higher value than previously described in the literature, and most of these were found incidentally, especially in cystoprostatectomies. This high percentage of concomitant GP and PCa could be due to a rise in Transrectal Prostate biopsies (TRPB), as in recent years there has been a tendency to increase the use of PSA in routine clinical practice.

Granulomatous prostatitis: A clinico-pathological series of 27 cases

Objectives: This study aimed to assess the incidence and discern the histomorphological spectrum of granulomatous prostatitis. Methods: A retrospective analysis of histopathological records of 1773 prostatic specimens received in the pathology department was done over a period of seven years. All histologically proven cases of granulomatous prostatitis were retrieved, the relevant clinical data were collected from patient records and the lesions were categorized accordingly. Results: Out of 1773 cases, 27 cases of granulomatous prostatitis were identified. The age range of these patients was between 50 and 89 years. Among the patients, non-specific granulomatous prostatitis (NSGP) was the most common followed by tubercular prostatitis, post-surgical prostatitis and xanthogranulomatous prostatitis. Three cases of post-surgical prostatitis were associated with malignancy. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels ranged between 0.8 and 20.94 ng/mL (median 10.78 ng/mL). The diagnosis was made by histopathological examination of transrectal ultrasound (TRUS)-guided core biopsies, Trucut biopsies, transuretheral resection of prostate chips, prostatectomy and cystoprostatectomy specimens. Conclusion: In the present study, the incidence of granulomatous prostatitis was 1.5%. The patients usually present as hard nodules on digital rectal examination along with raised serum PSA levels. Carcinoma or benign prostatic hyperplasia was kept as a clinical diagnosis in these cases. Since the diagnosis of granulomatous prostatitis is made on histopathological examination only, meticulous histomorphological assessment is therefore required to reach a definitive diagnosis of granulomatous prostatitis.