USP28 is a potential prognostic marker for bladder cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Biochemistry

Background:

• Bladder cancer remains a significant health concern with a need for improved prognostic markers.
• The role of ubiquitin-specific proteases, like Usp28, in cancer development and progression is an emerging area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression levels of ubiquitin-specific protease 28 (Usp28) in human bladder cancer.
• To evaluate the clinical significance and prognostic value of Usp28 expression in bladder cancer patients.

Main Methods:

• Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Western blot were used to quantify Usp28 mRNA and protein in paired tumor and adjacent non-cancerous tissues.
• Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was employed to assess Usp28 protein expression in a cohort of 186 bladder cancer specimens.
• Statistical analyses correlated Usp28 expression with clinico-pathologic features and patient survival.

Main Results:

• Usp28 mRNA and protein levels were significantly higher in bladder cancer tissues compared to adjacent non-cancerous tissues.
• High Usp28 protein expression was observed in 58.1% of the bladder cancer cases.
• Usp28 expression strongly correlated with histopathological grade, clinical stage, tumor number, and recurrence rate, and was identified as an independent predictor of survival.

Conclusions:

• Usp28 is overexpressed in human bladder cancer.
• Usp28 expression is significantly associated with adverse clinico-pathologic features and poor prognosis in bladder cancer.
• Usp28 protein expression holds potential as a valuable biomarker for prognostic evaluation in bladder cancer.