[Nucleolar organizer region in bladder cancer. Relationship with histologic grade, stage, and prognosis]

By means of silver staining, 31 transitional bladder cancer were studied in order to quantify the number of the nucleolar organizer regions and ist relationship with histological grade, tumoral stage and prognosis of the disease. The group under study was composed by 18 cases superficial carcinomas (T1 stage), and 13 deep carcinomas (T2 and T3b stage). A significant difference between normal and neoplastic bladder mucosa, and between T1 and t3b stage was demonstrated (p = 0.03). However, ther was not difference between patients whom develop recurrences. In this study we were not able to demonstrate the importance of the count of the nucleolar organizer regions as prognostic factor in bladder cancer.