Prostatic carcinoma: histoprognosis, prognostic value of Gleason's index

This paper recalls the definition of the Gleason index and describes the five architectural types that enable a calculation of the index. The conditions of the practical application of the index are defined, with a discussion of reproducibility of results based on current literature and the author's experience. The index allows appreciation of the developmental potential of prostatic cancer and distinguishes between patients with a high risk of metastases and death from the cancer and those with low potential development. While the Gleason index cannot predict the course of the tumour in any given patient, it can be considered a useful element among the clinical and biological factors assessed in the prognosis of prostatic carcinoma.