CARCINOMA OF PROSTATE IN SIGNET RING CELL. SERIES OF 5 CASES AND REVISION OF THE LITERATURE

OBJECTIVE: Signet ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) of the prostate is very a rare tumor. It is comprised of cells that are similar to signet ring cell tumors of the gastrointestinal tract. Diagnosis requires histopathology and also elimination of the adenocarcinomas of other organs. To our knowledge 157 cases have been reported in the literature. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We retrospectively searched in tumor registries from Hospital Aleman de Buenos Aires to identify all prostate cancer since 1990. We analyzed the following variables: age at diagnosis, median prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level, stage, global survival, among others. A review of the literature was done and compared with this series of cases. RESULTS: We identified 5 cases. In our series we found: Mean age 77.8 years (SD 3.2), Median PSA level 18 ng/ml (Range 10.6-331 ng/ml), 3/5 (60%) localized disease and 2/5 (40%) with distant disease at diagnosis. Median survival of 23 months. Comparing with other series we found patients of older age and lower median survival. CONCLUSION: Primary Signet ring cell carcinoma of the prostate is a rare and aggressive histological variant of adenocarcinomas of the prostate. Treatment is the same as classical adenocarcinoma with an emphasis on aggressive multimodal treatment.