{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T05:59:54Z","timestamp":1780898394783,"version":"3.54.1"},"reference-count":10,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780876800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Oncol."],"abstract":"<jats:p>Small cell carcinoma of the prostate is an uncommon malignancy with an aggressive clinical course. Its non-specific symptoms and frequently normal prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels can make early diagnosis difficult. We report a 74-year-old man with progressive defecation difficulty and prostate enlargement. Although his serum PSA was within the normal range, imaging revealed a prostate mass suggestive of local invasion. Needle biopsy established the diagnosis of small cell carcinoma with neuroendocrine marker expression. He later received etoposide plus cisplatin chemotherapy but deteriorated soon after treatment began and died despite resuscitation. This case underscores the importance of early biopsy when imaging suggests an invasive prostate mass, even if PSA is not elevated.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fonc.2026.1796935","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T05:36:19Z","timestamp":1780896979000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Case Report: a rare case of small cell carcinoma of the prostate"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Kexin","family":"Geng","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Hebei Medical University Third Hospital","place":["Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Feng","family":"Gao","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pathology, Hebei Medical University Third Hospital","place":["Shijiazhuang, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1038\/nrurol.2014.21","article-title":"Small cell carcinoma of the prostate","volume":"11","author":"Nadal","year":"2014","journal-title":"Nat Rev Urol"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.eururo.2022.07.002","article-title":"The 2022 World Health Organization classification of tumors of the urinary system and male genital organs\u2014Part B: prostate and urinary tract tumors","volume":"82","author":"Netto","year":"2022","journal-title":"Eur Urol"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers12123792","article-title":"Neuroendocrine and aggressive-variant prostate cancer","volume":"12","author":"Spetsieris","year":"2020","journal-title":"Cancers (Basel)"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ejca.2019.08.011","article-title":"Clinical features of neuroendocrine prostate cancer","volume":"121","author":"Conteduca","year":"2019","journal-title":"Eur J Cancer"},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1148\/rg.2016150226","article-title":"Beyond prostate adenocarcinoma: expanding the differential diagnosis in prostate pathologic conditions","volume":"36","author":"Li","year":"2016","journal-title":"Radiographics"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.1097\/PAS.0b013e318058a96b","article-title":"Small cell carcinoma of the prostate: a morphologic and immunohistochemical study of 95 cases","volume":"32","author":"Wang","year":"2008","journal-title":"Am J Surg Pathol"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1097\/00000478-200606000-00005","article-title":"Small cell carcinoma of the prostate: an immunohistochemical study","volume":"30","author":"Yao","year":"2006","journal-title":"Am J Surg Pathol"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"17","DOI":"10.18632\/oncotarget.26523","article-title":"Clinical characteristics, treatment outcomes and potential novel therapeutic options for patients with neuroendocrine carcinoma of the prostate","volume":"10","author":"Apostolidis","year":"2019","journal-title":"Oncotarget"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/cncr.22971","article-title":"Treatment outcomes of small cell carcinoma of the prostate: a single-center study","volume":"110","author":"Spiess","year":"2007","journal-title":"Cancer"},{"key":"B10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1093\/oncolo\/oyae372","article-title":"Efficacy of atezolizumab combined with platinum and etoposide in the treatment of extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinoma","volume":"30","author":"Ho","year":"2025","journal-title":"Oncologist"}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Oncology"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1796935\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]],"date-time":"2026-06-08T05:36:27Z","timestamp":1780896987000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1796935\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]]},"references-count":10,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fonc.2026.1796935"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fonc.2026.1796935","relation":{},"ISSN":["2234-943X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2234-943X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,8]]},"article-number":"1796935"}}