Plasma metadherin mRNA expression in bladder cancer.

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Urologic Oncology

Background:

• Bladder cancer (BC) is a prevalent malignancy with current diagnostic methods like cystoscopy and urine cytology having limitations.
• Cystoscopy is invasive, and urine cytology exhibits low sensitivity, potentially leading to misdiagnosis.
• The development of non-invasive blood-based biomarkers is crucial for improved BC detection and patient comfort.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the expression of metadherin (MTDH) mRNA in plasma, serum BC specific antigen 1 (BLCA-1), and cystatin C as potential biomarkers for bladder cancer.
• To assess the correlation of these biomarkers with different stages and grades of bladder cancer.
• To evaluate the diagnostic performance of these biomarkers in differentiating BC from benign bladder conditions.

Main Methods:

• The study included 59 BC patients, 11 patients with benign bladder lesions, and 18 healthy controls.
• MTDH expression was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
• BLCA-1 and cystatin C levels were quantified using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).

Main Results:

• All three biomarkers (MTDH, BLCA-1, and cystatin C) were significantly elevated in BC patients compared to those with benign lesions and normal controls.
• Higher levels of cystatin C, BLCA-1, and MTDH were observed in patients with higher-grade BC (grades 3 and 4) compared to lower grades (1 and 2).
• BLCA-1 demonstrated exceptional diagnostic accuracy, with a cutoff of 32.5 ng/ml yielding 100% sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values.

Conclusions:

• BLCA-1 emerged as a highly accurate and reliable biomarker for bladder cancer detection, outperforming cystatin C and MTDH.
• Cystatin C, BLCA-1, and MTDH can effectively differentiate between benign bladder lesions and BC.
• These biomarkers show a significant correlation with tumor grade, aiding in disease staging and management.