Incidental prostatic paraganglia in radical prostatectomy specimens: A diagnostic pitfall

Paraganglia are an uncommon but previously reported finding in the genitourinary system. Recognition of this entity in the prostate is important in distinguishing it from prostatic adenocarcinoma. In this series, 1230 radical prostectomy specimens were examined for the presence of paraganglia, and a total of 57 cases (4.5%) were found to contain paraganglia. The majority of paraganglia were extraprostatic and could easily mimic extension of prostatic adenocarcinoma into extraprostatic tissue. It is important to recognize paraganglia, particularly when they are extraprostatic and could confer a falsely higher tumor stage to the patient. The paraganglia demonstrated characteristic histology, and immunohistochemistry was supportive when enough tissue was available. No association between patient age and frequency of paraganglia was found.