Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Ectopic Prostate Tissue Within the Processus Vaginalis: Insights into Prostate Embryogenesis

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Pediatric and Developmental Pathology

Abstract

We report an 11-year-old boy who presented with a scrotal mass superior to the epididymis in the processus vaginalis. The mass consisted of prostate tissue, including glands and fibromuscular stroma, communicating with a spermatocele. Strong immunostaining for prostate-specific antigen was seen in the glandular epithelium. Immunostaining for peanut agglutinin highlighted the luminal plasma membrane in a subset of epithelial cells, mainly those located around the periphery of the nodule. To the best of our knowledge, this represents the first report of a pediatric patient with ectopic prostate tissue located outside the urinary tract and the first instance altogether of ectopic prostate noted at this location. The young age of the patient, the lesion’s constituents, and its location suggest that the finding represents a disorder of development.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Figure 1.
Figure 2.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Rubenstein RA, Dogra VS, Seftel AD, Resnick MI. Benign intrascrotal lesions. J Urol 2004;171:1765–1772

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Larraza-Hernandez O, Molberg KH, Lindberg G, Albores-Saavedra J. Ectopic prostatic tissue in the uterine cervix. Int J Gynecol Pathol 1997;16:291–293

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. McLachlin CM, Srigley JR. Prostatic tissue in mature cystic teratomas of the ovary. Am J Surg Pathol 1992;16:780–784

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Nucci MR, Ferry JA, Young RH. Ectopic prostatic tissue in the uterine cervix: a report of four cases and review of ectopic prostatic tissue. Am J Surg Pathol 2000;24:1224–1230

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Chan JK, Chow TC, Tsui MS. Prostatic-type polyps of the lower urinary tract: three histogenetic types? Histopathology 1987;11:789–801

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Adams JR Jr. Adenocarcinoma in ectopic prostatic tissue. J Urol 1993;150:1253–1254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Bromberg WD, Kozlowski JM, Oyasu R. Prostate-type gland in the epididymis. J Urol 1991;145:1273–1274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Tokumitsu S, Tokumitsu K, Takeya M, Takeuchi T. Developmentally heterotopic urogenital tissues in a retroperitoneal lipoma with hematopoiesis. Acta Pathol Jpn 1981;31:289–297

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  9. Vogel U, Negri G, Bultmann B. Ectopic prostatic tissue in the spleen. Virchows Arch 1996;427:543–545

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Spiro LH, Levine B. Ectopic subvesical prostatic tissue. J Urol 1974;112:631–633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Tekin K, Sungurtekin U, Aytekin FO, Calli N, Erdem E, Ozden A, Yalcin N. Ectopic prostatic tissue of the anal canal presenting with rectal bleeding: report of a case. Dis Colon Rectum 2002;45:979–980

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Lee LY, Tzeng J, Grosman M, Unger PD. Prostate gland-like epithelium in the epididymis: a case report and review of the literature. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2004;128:e60–e62

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  13. Morgan MB. Ectopic prostatic tissue of the anal canal. J Urol 1992;147:165–166

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Salem CE, Gibbs PM, Highshaw RA, Reuter VE, Cote RJ. Benign ectopic prostatic tissue involving the seminal vesicle in a patient with prostate cancer: recognition and implications for staging. Urology 1996;48:490–493

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Gledhill A. Ectopic prostatic tissue. J Urol 1985;133:110–111

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Yasukawa S, Aoshi H, Takamatsu M. Ectopic prostatic adenoma in retrovesical space. J Urol 1987;137:998–999

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Fulton RS, Rouse RV, Ranheim EA. Ectopic prostate: case report of a presacral mass presenting with obstructive symptoms. Arch Pathol Lab Med 2001;125:286–288

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Srigley JR. The paratesticular region: histoanatomic and general considerations. Semin Diagn Pathol 2000;17:258–269

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. McNeal JE. Normal histology of the prostate. Am J Surg Pathol 1988;12:619–633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  20. McNeal JE, Leav I, Alroy J, Skutelsky E. Differential lectin staining of central and peripheral zones of the prostate and alterations in dysplasia. Am J Clin Pathol 1988;89:41–48

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Marker PC, Donjacour AA, Dahiya R, Cunha GR. Hormonal, cellular, and molecular control of prostatic development. Dev Biol 2003;253:165–174

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  22. Staack A, Donjacour AA, Brody J, Cunha GR, Carroll P. Mouse urogenital development: a practical approach. Differentiation 2003;71:402–413

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Larry L. Wang, MD, PhD, for critical review of the manuscript and Kristi Christenson for assistance with immunohistochemical staining.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Christine A. VanBeek & Sara O. Vargas

  2. Department of Urology, Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Craig A. Peters

Authors
  1. Christine A. VanBeek
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Craig A. Peters
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Sara O. Vargas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sara O. Vargas.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

VanBeek, C., Peters, C. & Vargas, S.O. Ectopic Prostate Tissue Within the Processus Vaginalis: Insights into Prostate Embryogenesis. Pediatr Dev Pathol 8, 379–385 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10024-005-0003-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10024-005-0003-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation