The Morphologic Spectrum of Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer: Case Reports and Literature Review

Abstract Conventional acinar prostatic carcinomas are dependent on the androgen receptor (AR) to proliferate. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a common treatment for prostate cancers that have metastasized and is also being administered as first-line therapy with or without radiation therapy for intermediate- or high-risk disease. Cancers that recur after initially responding to ADT, or castration-resistant prostatic carcinomas (CRPCs), have a poor prognosis and are more likely to show divergent differentiation than de novo carcinomas. This review will present four cases of CRPC to highlight the morphologic spectrum, discuss effects of ADT on prostatic tumors, and discuss neuroendocrine prostatic tumors.