Glossary

General Terms:

• Tissue Block: ( View figure )
  The sections that are immunostained are stained as follows. In a radical prostatectomy, an intact prostate is received. Transverse sections, averaging 2.5mm in thickness are obtained. These are then sectioned, typically as quadrants, so that they fit in the standard tissue-processing cassette. These pieces of tissue are titled Blocks. The specimen block uniquely identifies the prostatectomy specimen (year-randomized research number) and the block of tissue (letter after the number).
• Surgical procedure:
  The method by which the tissue is obtained.
  
• Clinical diagnosis:
  Provides the rationale for the surgical procedure.
  
• Adenocarcinoma: carcinoma arising from glandular epithelial cells such as within the prostate.
  
• Radical prostatectomy (RRP): complete surgical removal of the prostate and seminal vesicles performed for patients with clinically localized prostate cancer.
• Cystoprostatectomy: complete removal of the bladder, prostate, and seminal vesicles. This is most commonly performed for patients with invasive bladder cancer, however, occasionally is performed for patients with advanced prostate cancer.
• Zones:
  The prostate consists of zones, which are based on the pattern of branching of the ducts and the embryologic growth of the prostate.
• Peripheral Zone:
  The peripheral zone, which comprises 70% of the mass of the postpubescent, young adult prostate, extends from the base of the prostate posteriorly, juxtaposed to the external surface of the rectum, to the apex. This zone is the site of origin of the majority of prostate carcinomas.
• Transition Zone:
  The transition zone, which comprises 10-20% of the mass of the postpubescent, young adult prostate, consists of periurethral parenchyma surrounding the mid and proximal portions of the prostatic urethra. The transition zone is the site of origin of benign prostatic hyertrophy and of a minority of prostate carcinomas.
• Cell Lines:
  Clonal populations of cells derived from primary tissue and now able to be propogated in culture.
• LNCaP:
  An androgen-dependent human cell line derived from a lymph node metastatic lesion of human prostate adenocarcinoma, widely used in the study of prostate cancer.
• C4-2:
  An androgen-independent cell line derived from an interaction between LNCaP and human bone stromal cells injected into (castrated) mice, represents a progressed cancer.
• Cancer Amount:
  The amount of cancer in a section is estimated based on the nickel rule, where the surface area of a nickel is approximately equivalent to 1cc of cancer in a 3mm thick block of tissue. The rationale for reporting this is to convey the amount of cancer that is being immunohistochemically characterized. In some cases, there may be so little cancer in the section that the immunohistochemical characterization of expression of a given antigen in that tissue may not be representative

  Prostate Anatomical Terms:

• Luminal epithelial cells: ( View figure )
  A layer of epithelial cells that lines the lumens of prostate glands and ducts. They have a cuboidal to columnar shape. Functionally these cells express the enzymes that are the main secretion product of the prostate.
• Basal epithelial cells: ( View figure )
  A layer of small, often inconspicuous epithelial cells adjacent to the basement membrane and subjacent to the luminal/secretory epithelial cells. The basal cells are the presumed progenitor cells of the prostate epithelium.
• Stromal fibromuscular cells: ( View figure )
  The spindle cells that comprise the interstitium in which the prostate ducts and glands are embedded.
• Stromal endothelial cells:
  The cells that line the lumen of all blood vessels.
• Stromal perineural cells:
  The outermost layer of stromal cells that surround peripheral nerves
• Stromal nerve sheath cells:
  Spindle cells that surround axonal processes of nerves.
• Stromal Leukocyte:
  White blood cells, including lymphocytes, neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils and macrophages/histiocytes.
• Hyperplastic glands: ( View images )
  Glands that exhibit luminal cell hyperplasia forming micropapillary protrusions into gland lumens.
• Atrophic glands: ( View images )
  Benign glands lined by an apparent single layer of predominantly basal cells that form a flat epithelium.
• Gleason pattern Grade 3:
  Single, separate, much more variable glands, may be closely packed but usually irregularly separated, ragged, poorly defined edge, but still in circumscribed structure, looser than nodule, slightly infiltrative, but can draw a circle around each gland; tangentially cut glands may be poorly formed
• Gleason pattern Grade 4:
  Chopped up fused glands, either all glands are without stroma or small fragments of glands
• Gleason pattern Grade 5 - two patterns:
  5a: comedocarcinoma -papillary / cribriform carcinomas with central necrosis
  5b: carcinomas with minimal glandular differentiation, ranging from infiltrating single cells (including signet ring cells) to solid sheets of tumor cells

  Urinary Bladder Anotomical Terms:

• Cap cells:
  Also known as Umbrella Cells. The most superficial layer of cells in the urothelium. These are large typically binucleate cells.
• Intermediate cells:
  Cells that comprise the multilayered epithelium beneath the cap cell layer of the urothelium.
• Lamina propria - superficial:
  The most superficial layer of fibroconnective stroma subjacent to the urothelium and superficial to the muscularis mucosae.
• Lamina propria - deep:
  The layer of fibroconnective stroma deep to the urothelium and superficial lamina propria and superficial to the muscularis mucosae.
• Submucosa:
  The layer of fibroconnective stroma deep to the muscularis mucosae and superifical to the muscularis propria.
• Muscularis propria:
  The thick bundles of smooth muscle that contract the bladder
• Transitional cell carcinoma:
  The most common bladder malignancy,transitional cell carcinoma is composed of malignant urothelial cells.
• Basal epithelial cells:
  A layer of small, often inconspicuous epithelial cells adjacent to the basement membrane and subjacent to the luminal/secretory epithelial cells.
• Stromal endothelial cells:
  The cells that line the lumen of all blood vessels.

  Immunohistochemistry staining level categories:

• Intense:
  Immunoreaction deposit is distinctly more optically dense than background and than tissue that does not express the antigen.
• Equivocal:
  Immunoreaction deposit is either similar enough in optical density to the background and/or to tissue that does not express the antigen, or is so focal, i.e. < 5% of cells, that there is reasonable uncertain regarding whether the cells express the antigen.
• None:
  There is either no immunoreaction deposit or reaction product is no more optically dense than background.