Cytokeratin shedding in urine: a biological marker for bladder cancer?

Cytokeratin shedding into the urine was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 154 individuals. Samples include urines of normal controls, patients with urological conditions other than bladder cancer and bladder cancer patients. The assay results reflect the potential value of cytokeratin shedding in urine as a new urinary marker for bladder cancer. A 94% sensitivity for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder suggested the importance of using antibodies prepared against cytokeratin extracted from the same cell type of carcinoma as that to be detected. The relatively low sensitivity shown while detecting transitional cell carcinoma patients and the relatively low degree of assay specificity suggested the use of a panel of monoclonal antibodies specific to various types of cytokeratins of bladder carcinoma.