Postatrophic hyperplasia of the prostate: Current literature review and research perspectives

Nowadays, numerous reocurring epidemiologic, histopathologic and mo- lecular-genetic evidence of the connection between chronic inamma- tion and the socially signicant prostate diseases can be traced, such as benign prostate hyperplasia, prostate cancer and the prostatitis. At the same time, however, for many years the intermediate link between the ini- tial process (chronic inammation) and the end stage (prostate cancer) of the morphogenesis of the process was not clearly dened. Nevertheless, owing to the extensive and comprehensive research that has been con- ducted in the last 25 years, this gap has now been narrowed, and new his- tological entities have appeared, namely inammatory proliferative atrophy and postatrophic hyperplasia (PAH). The plethora of terminology, associat- ed with PAH, includes secondary hyperplasia, hyperplastic atrophy, lobular hyperplasia, small acinar proliferation and atrophy, assotiated with hyperplasia. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the current morphological and immunohistochemical characteristics of PAH, drawing from the existing lit- erature on this topic. A summary of suggestions for further research in the future is also included.