c-myc expression in renal carcinoma: correlation with clinical parameters

There is evidence that c-myc is expressed in renal carcinomas and that it is associated with histological grade. This study reports on the clinical correlations of oncogene expression and clinical features of the disease. Tissue sections from 97 patients (95 primary and 12 secondary cancers) were immunostained with a c-myc oncoprotein antibody. The tumours were scored for extent and intensity of nuclear and cytoplasmic staining. Ninety patients were suitable for follow-up study. High levels of expression correlated significantly with increasing T category and nuclear grade, as well as with venous invasion. No correlation with nodal involvement, the presence of metastases, tumour architecture or cell type was found. The extent of nuclear staining was related to survival (although not to recurrence), but in a multivariate analysis did not provide independent prognostic information. It was concluded that semiquantitative assessment of levels of c-myc oncoprotein does not provide clinically useful prognostic information.