Current practice in handling and reporting prostate needle biopsies: results of a Turkish survey.

BACKGROUND: In 2005 ISUP (International Society of Urological Pathology) consensus revised the Gleason grading system.

METHOD: We conducted a web based national survey of the members of Uropathology Working Group (WG) and general pathologists (NWP) to investigate the current practice in reporting prostate needle biopsies.

RESULTS: The revised system was well known and applied by the respondents. In pattern analysis major difference was detected in reporting medium sized, regular cribriform glands. In both group this pattern was reported as Gleason Pattern (GP) 3 by at least 50% of the repliers, the rest reported this pattern as GP 4. Gleason Score (GS) 2-4 was not reported by the WG. In NWP GS 2-4 was reported by 25% either frequently of infrequently. Any amount of secondary higher grade was included in GS by 92.5% of WG and 70% of NWP (p<0.05). Five percent cut off was requested for the lower secondary grade by 71.4% of WG but 64% of NWP. (p<0.05) Tertiary pattern was reported by 64.5% of WG and 34% of NWP (p<0.05). Individual GS was assigned for each core by 46.4% of WG and 26.5% of NWP (p<0.05). When measuring the extend of cancer, most included the benign tissue between cancer foci in the same core. Fat invasion was interpreted as extraprostatic invasion by 85.7% of WG and 55.9%of NWP (p<0.05).

CONCLUSION: This study showed the specific points where the educational efforts should be focused to have a better and standardized practice pattern of pathologists when reporting prostate biopsies.