Granulomatous prostatitis is an uncommon disease of the

prostate The prostate is an male accessory gland, accessory gland of the male reproductive system and a muscle-driven mechanical switch between urination and ejaculation. It is found in all male mammals. It differs between species anatomically, chemica ...

, an

exocrine gland Exocrine glands are glands that secrete substances onto an epithelial surface by way of a duct. Examples of exocrine glands include sweat, salivary, mammary, ceruminous, lacrimal, sebaceous, prostate and mucous. Exocrine glands are one of ...

of the

male reproductive system The male reproductive system consists of a number of sex organs that play a role in the process of human reproduction. These organs are located on the outside of the body, and within the pelvic cavity, pelvis. The main male sex organs are the hu ...

. It is a form of

prostatitis Prostatitis is an umbrella term for a variety of medical conditions that incorporate bacterial and non-bacterial origin illnesses in the pelvic region. In contrast with the plain meaning of the word (which means "inflammation of the prostate"), the ...

(prostate inflammation), resulting from infection (bacterial, viral, or fungal),

BCG vaccine The Bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) vaccine is a vaccine primarily used against tuberculosis (TB). It is named after its inventors Albert Calmette and Camille Guérin. In countries where tuberculosis or leprosy is common, one dose is recom ...

, malacoplakia or systemic granulomatous diseases which involve the prostate.

Pathogenesis

Prostatic secretions escape into the stroma and elicit an inflammatory response.

Histopathology

Noticeable destruction of Acini, surrounded by epitheloid cells,

giant cell A giant cell (also known as a multinucleated giant cell, or multinucleate giant cell) is a mass formed by the union of several distinct cells (usually histiocytes), often forming a granuloma. Although there is typically a focus on the patholog ...

lymphocyte A lymphocyte is a type of white blood cell (leukocyte) in the immune system of most vertebrates. Lymphocytes include T cells (for cell-mediated and cytotoxic adaptive immunity), B cells (for humoral, antibody-driven adaptive immunity), an ...

plasma cell Plasma cells, also called plasma B cells or effector B cells, are white blood cells that originate in the lymphoid organs as B cells and secrete large quantities of proteins called antibodies in response to being presented specific substances ca ...

s and dense

fibrosis Fibrosis, also known as fibrotic scarring, is the development of fibrous connective tissue in response to an injury. Fibrosis can be a normal connective tissue deposition or excessive tissue deposition caused by a disease. Repeated injuries, ch ...

Mimicry of prostate cancer

Granulomatous prostatitis can be mistaken for

prostate cancer Prostate cancer is the neoplasm, uncontrolled growth of cells in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system below the bladder. Abnormal growth of the prostate tissue is usually detected through Screening (medicine), screening tests, ...

, including on rectal examination, MRI, and heightened PSA scores. A biopsy differentiates.

Causes

Some 70% of cases are

idiopathic An idiopathic disease is any disease with an unknown cause or mechanism of apparent spontaneous origin. For some medical conditions, one or more causes are somewhat understood, but in a certain percentage of people with the condition, the cause ...

. Causes may include infection and immunological links.

Prevalence

One study stated prevalence in 0.44% in routine prostatectomy specimens, 0.29% in needle biopsies, and 0.77% of TURP, simple prostatectomy, and needle biopsy.

References

External links

{{Medical resources , ICD10 = , ICD9 = , DiseasesDB = , eMedicineSubj = article , eMedicineTopic = 2019731 , MedlinePlus = , MeshID = Inflammatory prostate disorders Men's health