Surgical Pathology of Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia

Abstract

An understanding of the pathobiology of benign prostatic growth is obviously important when assessing prognosis for the individual patient. The prostate gland increases in size from the time of birth until puberty. At puberty rapid growth occurs, continuing until the third decade of life. The size of the prostate gland then remains constant until about age 45.⁶ At this time the prostate may develop clinical benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) (i.e., its volume increases at a rapid pace and continues to do so until death) or begins actively and progressively to decrease in size. Franks¹ and others have noted that the human prostate develops certain evolutionary changes early in life, and therefore with aging there is an increased clinical incidence of BPH. Lytton et al.³ suggested that at age 40 the probability is approximately 10% that a man will require an operation for BPH if he lives to age 80.