Cystoprostatectomy grossing

This article deals with how to cut-up cystoprostatectomy specimens.

Introduction

Cystoprostatectomies are done for bladder cancer. Granular areas of the bladder often correlate with carcinoma in situ.

Protocol

Specimen:

• Type: cystoprostatecomy.
• Specimen weight: ___ grams.
• Specimen dimensions (superior-inferior, left-right, anterior-posterior): ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Prostate dimensions (superior-inferior, left-right, anterior-posterior): ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Left seminal vesicle: ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Right seminal vesicle: ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Inking: green - anterior prostate, blue - right prostate, black - left prostate, green - urinary bladder openning.

Tumour:

• Size of tumour (superior-inferior, left-right, anterior-posterior): ___ x ___ x ___ cm.
• Location of tumour: [dome, left, right, anterior, posterior, trigone].
• Nearest margin: [soft tissue margin / urethral / ureteric ].
• Distance to nearest margin: ___.
• Configuration: [ulcerated / exophytic].
• Appearance: [tan/brown / white], [firm / friable].
• Extension into perivescicular adipose tissue: [not identified, present].

Representative sections:

• Urethral resection margin on edge.
• Ureteral surgical (or specimen) margins (left and right).
• Sagittal section of posterior prostate, posterior bladder neck and posterior-inferior bladder divided into multiple blocks.
• Left prostate - mid part of gland.
• Right prostate - mid part of gland.
• Left parasagittal section of the bladder neck and prostate gland.
• Right parasagittal section of the bladder neck and prostate gland.
• Bladder tumour - 1 section/cm.
  • Section with deepest invasion.
  • One section if fat invasion obvious, three sections if it is suspicious.
• Suspicious granular areas.
• Left bladder wall.
• Right bladder wall.
• Anterior bladder wall.
• Posterior bladder wall.
• Dome of bladder.
• Trigone of bladder.

Protocol notes

• The parasagittal sections of the bladder and prostate are important for staging.

See also

Related protocols

• Radical prostatectomy.
• Radical cystectomy.