White-cell concentrates were made by a dextran sedimentation technique from the blood of 140 cases of malignant disease and 60 controls. The slides were searched for tumour cells and for other unusual cells with which they might be confused. Several million white cells were scanned in the slides from each case.Acceptable tumour cells were identified in the blood of seven patients, none of whom survived for more than a few months. These cells are illustrated, as well as various other cell types which may have been confused with malignant cells in the past. It is concluded that the cytology of white cell concentrates should be further explored before statistics about the occurrence of circulating tumour cells are accepted.

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of patients. LUTS medication including anticholinergics and alphablockers were present in 23 patients (2.6%), whereas 9 patients (1%) had an indwelling catheter. 19 (1.9%) of patients required reoperation, permanent urinary incontinence was present in 20 (2.2%) of patients. Stratification by duration of follow-up (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th quartile 6-31 months, 32-51 months, 52-78 months, 79-124 months, respectively) revealed significant differences with respect to QoL (1 (IQR 0-1) vs. 1 (IQR 1-2)) and any permanent urinary incontinence (4 patients (1.8%) vs. 7 patients (3.1%)) in the 1st vs. 4th follow-up quartile. No significant differences were observed with respect to PSA, IPSS, LUTS medication, presence of an indwelling catheter, or rates of resurgery (all p>0.1). In multivariable analysis age at surgery (odds ratio (OR) 1.04 (95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.01-1.07), p[0.003), prostate volume (OR 0.99 (95%CI 0.98-0.99), p[0.029), BMI (OR 1.06 (95%CI 1.0-1.1), p[0.035), presence of indwelling catheter prior to surgery (OR 0.51 (95%CI 0.32-0.82), p[0.003), and anticholinergic medication prior to surgery (OR 1.74 (95%CI 1.01-3.0), p[0.003) were independent predictors of persistent/recurring symptoms.CONCLUSIONS: Our experience confirms overall durable and excellent outcomes after HoLEP. Yet, a non-negligible fraction of patients with persistent/recurring LUTS highlights the need for optimizing patient selection and utilizing individualized treatments among the growing armamentarium of surgical options.

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