2.5. Histopathology preparations

The specimen was fixed in formalin at least 24 h before sectioning. Sectioning was subsequently performed by a pathologist using the slits in the mold, into 5 mm thick sections from the apex to the base. The histopathology examination included the standard procedure of pathologic-anatomic diagnosis analysis (dehydration, paraffin embedding, and microtome sectioning in 5 µm thick slices starting from the caudal surface of each paraffin block). The coloration of the prostate enabled the slices to be oriented correctly anatomically by examining the color of their edges. Each slice was glass-mounted and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. The first apical slice was, according to clinical routine, divided into several small pieces to enable examination of the apical prostate surface and could therefore not be used in this analysis.