Prostate chips grossing

This article deals with prostate chips.

Introduction

Prostate chips are generated from transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) procedures. These are generally for relieving urinary obstruction due to nodular hyperplasia of the prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia); however, urinary obstruction may be secondary to prostate cancer. Thus, the job of the pathologist here, usually, is excluding an incidental cancer.

Protocol

Specimen:

• Weight ___ grams.
• Dimensions (in aggregate): ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Number of fragments: [1-6/multiple (>6)].

[Submitted in total/Representative sections submitted].

Protocol notes

Number of cassettes:

• <= 12 grams: EIT.
• >12 grams: embed 12 grams and 1 cassette for every additional 5 grams.
  • If the prostate chips have a mass of:
    • 16 grams: 6-8 cassettes for 12 grams + 1 cassette = 7-9 cassettes.
    • 21 grams: 6-8 cassettes for 12 grams + 2 cassettes = 7-9 cassettes.

What to look for/feel for:

Entity	Colour	Firmness
prostate cancer	yellow/orange	firm
benign prostate	tan/gray	rubbery

See also

• Prostate specimens.