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EGFr and c-erB2mRNA expression in urinary bladder superficial carcinomas
1Department of Pathology, University of Trieste, Trieste, 34100,Italy.
Advances in Clinical Pathology : the Official Journal of Adriatic Society of Pathology
|April 1, 1997
Summary
Predicting superficial bladder cancer behavior is challenging. While k-ras oncogene expression may indicate aggressiveness, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) shows higher expression in less aggressive superficial tumors.
Area of Science:
- Uro-oncology
- Molecular diagnostics
- Cancer biomarkers
Background:
- Superficial transitional carcinomas of the urinary bladder exhibit unpredictable biological behavior.
- Differentiating aggressive, infiltrative tumors from non-aggressive ones is crucial for patient management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the mRNA expression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr), c-erbB2, and k-ras oncogene.
- To correlate gene expression with the clinical outcomes of superficial urinary bladder transitional carcinomas.
Main Methods:
- Relative mRNA quantitation using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR).
- Analysis of formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor tissues from 23 patients.
- Correlation of gene expression with follow-up data on tumor recurrence patterns (superficial vs. infiltrative).
Main Results:
- Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFr) mRNA was generally higher in tumors with superficial recurrences.
- c-erbB2 mRNA levels showed no significant difference between aggressive and less aggressive tumor groups.
- k-ras oncogene mRNA expression was elevated in cases with more infiltrative tumor relapses.
Conclusions:
- No single marker definitively predicts prognosis for superficial bladder transitional carcinoma in this preliminary study.
- k-ras oncogene expression shows some association with tumor aggressiveness.
- Elevated EGFr expression in superficial carcinomas may indicate a less infiltrative behavior.
