Prostatic carcinoma. Correlation of histologic features of prognostic value with cytomorphology.

Positive aspiration smears of 34 cases of histogically confirmed prostatic carcinoma were studied. Four features found to be of prognostic value in histologic material in a previous study--cell borders, lymphocytic infiltration, pleomorphism, and histologic typing of the tumor--were compared with the cytologic pattern present on the smears. Pleomorphism was the only feature for which good correlation was obtained between these two techniques. Unfortunately, the grade of pleomorphism is not reproducible from one observer to another. Cell borders, when present in groups of malignant cells in the smears, were also present in the sections. The absence of this feature in the smears did not imply absence in the sections.