METASTATIC CARCINOMA OF THE PROSTATE MIMICKING PRIMARY CARCINOID-TUMOR OF THE LUNG AND MEDIASTINUM

Although prostatic carcinomas rarely present as intrathoracic metastas es, they may occasionally exhibit clinical and radiographic findings s uggestive of a primary pulmonary carcinoid, particularly when they hav e a cribriform pattern. This report describes three patients who prese nted with lung and mediastinal neoplasms initially diagnosed as primar y carcinoid tumors. These tumors were later proven to be metastatic pr ostate carcinoma by the use of immunohistochemical studies, in eluding stains for chromogranin, carcinoembryogenic antigen and prostate spec ific antigen. These findings emphasize the importance of considering m etastatic prostate adenocarcinoma in the differential diagnosis of car cinoid or neuroendocrine carcinoma with a cribriform pattern.