Specific Red Cell Adherence: Immunologic Evaluation of Random Mucosal biopsies In Carcinoma of the Bladder

Abstract

Random biopsies (103) from patients with overt transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were studied for specific red cell adherence. There were 62 random biopsies from patients whose primary tumors were positive for specific red cell adherence; 100% of the biopsies in these patients were positive for specific red cell adherence regardless of the pathologic finding in the random biopsy. There were 41 random biopsies from patients whose primary bladder tumors were negative for specific red cell adherence; and only 27% of all biopsies in this group of patients were positive for specific red cell adherence. In 92 of the 103 random biopsies (89%) the specific red cell adherence of the biopsy agreed with that of the primary tumor. The loss of red cell antigens in random biopsies that are histologically normal may prove to be the earliest measurable changes of the malignant potential of the urothelium.