Specific red cell adherence testing and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Abstract

Specific red cell adherence testing has established itself as a valuable means of predicting the behavior of non-invasive bladder carcinoma. In an attempt to determine whether specific red cell adherence testing could have a similar role in low grade, low stage prostatic carcinoma we first attempted to detect its presence in benign prostatic diseases. We tested 36 consecutive prostatectomy specimens of benign disease for the presence of specific red cell adherence in the prostatic acini. We were able to detect the presence of specific red cell adherence in only 36 per cent of the cases with benign prostatic hyperplasia. Thus, we believe that specific red cell adherence testing is not present in a sufficient percentage of patients with benign disease to allow its usefulness in determining the aggressive behavior of prostatic cancer.