The metastatic potential of prostate carcinomas composed entirely of single malignant glands.

Consecutive staging lymphadenectomies on 1046 patients with prostate carcinoma identified 275 patients with metastases in a total of 1115 regional lymph nodes. No prostate carcinomas composed entirely of single malignant glands metastasized and no patient had metastases composed entirely of single malignant glands. All prostate carcinomas that metastasized had cribriform and/or undifferentiated histological patterns in the prostate and in the metastases. These findings suggest that identification of cribriform and/or undifferentiated histological patterns, through rebiopsy or further examination of the surgical specimen, should be considered prior to subjecting patients with prostate carcinomas composed entirely of single malignant glands to therapy or procedures directed against the possibility of metastatic disease.