Expression of maspin in papillary Ta/T1 bladder neoplasms

The aim of the present study was to evaluate maspin expression in bladder urothelial papillary neoplasms and test the results for correlation with clinicopathological parameters.

A total of 111 urothelial neoplasms from 66 patients were evaluated: pathological examination of primary tumours disclosed 48 pTa and 18pT1. Fourteen additional biopsies, negative for neoplasm, were collected as control biopsies. For each of the 111 neoplastic samples and for the 14 control cases maspin and MIB1 immunoreactivity was evaluated. The immunohistochemical reactions of the 66 primary neoplasms were used for statistical analysis when the disease-free interval, presence and number of relapses, and progression of the disease were tested, whereas all of the 111 tumors were used when the association between the maspin pattern and histological grade and/or pT were evaluated. Thirty-three patients with primary pTa papillary neoplasms (68.7%) and 11 out of eighteen with pT1 (61%), had subsequent relapses of disease. For maspin immunoreactivity the presence/absence of nuclear staining and the pattern of staining were considered. Four patterns of reactivity were recognized and were used for statistical analyses.

A statistical association was found between the maspin pattern and pT, histological grade and nuclear staining.

In papillary urothelial neoplasms, maspin has a pattern of distribution that is associated with the histological grade and pathological stage, and this probably reflects its different activities in the neoplastic process.