Prostatic carcinoma at autopsy in Hiroshima and Nagasaki Japanese

Abstract

The occurrence of prostatic adenocarcinoma was examined in 1,357 routine JNIH-ABCC Life Span Study sample autopsies of men 50 years old or older who died between 1961 and 1969. The overall prevalence was 8.7% which included 6.6% with latent carcinoma and 2.1% with biologically active carcinoma. Prevalence of prostatic carcinoma was significantly related to age at death. Biological activity was found to correlate with the histologic differentiation and to the presence of areas of cribriform pattern. Three age-matched groups of 71 autopsies each, with radiation exposure of 100 rads or more, O rad, and not-in-city at the time of the bomb (ATB), were studied for prostatic carcinoma by examining sections taken from the entire prostate at 5-mm intervals. This intensive study showed no relation between the presence of prostatic carcinoma and radiation category. Radiation exposure ATB did not influence histologic type or biological activity. In the latter more thorough study, the prevalence rate for prostatic cancer, mainly latent carcinoma, increased to 27%. There is definite underreporting of prostatic carcinoma on death certificates in Japan, but this is not sufficient to explain the discrepancy in published prevalence rates when compared to Western countries.