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Germanà E, Pepe L, Pizzimenti C, Ballato M, Pierconti F, Tuccari G, Ieni A, Giuffrè G, Fadda G, Fiorentino V, Martini M. Programmed Cell Death Ligand 1 (PD-L1) Immunohistochemical Expression in Advanced Urothelial Bladder Carcinoma: An Updated Review with Clinical and Pathological Implications. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:6750. [PMID: 38928456 PMCID: PMC11203574 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25126750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2024] [Revised: 06/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
The management of advanced bladder carcinoma involves a multidisciplinary approach, but the prognosis remains poor for many patients. The immune system plays a crucial role in this disease, influencing both tumor development and response to treatment, and exploiting the immune system against the tumor can be a valuable strategy to destroy neoplastic cells. This is the biological principle underlying Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) use and, more recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), like PD-1 (programmed death-1)/PD-L1 (programmed death-ligand 1) inhibitors. In fact, one of the best studied immune checkpoints is represented by the PD-1/PD-L1 axis, which is a well-known immune escape system adopted by neoplastic bladder cells. PD-L1 expression has been associated with a higher pathologic stage and has shown prognostic value in bladder carcinoma. Interestingly, high-grade bladder cancers tend to express higher levels of PD-1 and PD-L1, suggesting a potential role of such an axis in mediating disease progression. Immunotherapy with PD-1 and PD-L1 inhibitors has therefore emerged as a valuable treatment option and has shown efficacy in advanced bladder cancer patients, with high PD-L1 expression levels associated with better treatment responses. Our review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the role of PD-L1 in advanced bladder cancer, focusing on its implications for treatment decisions and the prediction of treatment response. Overall, our work aims to contribute to the understanding of PD-L1 as a predictive biomarker and highlight its role in shaping therapeutic approaches for advanced bladder cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emanuela Germanà
- Department of Biomedical, Dental, Morphological and Functional Imaging Sciences, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Ludovica Pepe
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | | | - Mariagiovanna Ballato
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Francesco Pierconti
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation, 00168 Rome, Italy;
| | - Giovanni Tuccari
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Antonio Ieni
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Giuseppe Giuffrè
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Guido Fadda
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Vincenzo Fiorentino
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
| | - Maurizio Martini
- Department of Human Pathology in Adult and Developmental Age “Gaetano Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (L.P.); (M.B.); (G.T.); (A.I.); (G.G.); (G.F.)
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Younesian S, Mohammadi MH, Younesian O, Momeny M, Ghaffari SH, Bashash D. DNA methylation in human diseases. Heliyon 2024; 10:e32366. [PMID: 38933971 PMCID: PMC11200359 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e32366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2023] [Revised: 05/30/2024] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Aberrant epigenetic modifications, particularly DNA methylation, play a critical role in the pathogenesis and progression of human diseases. The current review aims to reveal the role of aberrant DNA methylation in the pathogenesis and progression of diseases and to discuss the original data obtained from international research laboratories on this topic. In the review, we mainly summarize the studies exploring the role of aberrant DNA methylation as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers in a broad range of human diseases, including monogenic epigenetics, autoimmunity, metabolic disorders, hematologic neoplasms, and solid tumors. The last section provides a general overview of the possibility of the DNA methylation machinery from the perspective of pharmaceutic approaches. In conclusion, the study of DNA methylation machinery is a phenomenal intersection that each of its ways can reveal the mysteries of various diseases, introduce new diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, and propose a new patient-tailored therapeutic approach for diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samareh Younesian
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1971653313 Iran
| | - Mohammad Hossein Mohammadi
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1971653313 Iran
| | - Ommolbanin Younesian
- School of Medicine, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, 46841-61167 Iran
| | - Majid Momeny
- The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine, McGovern Medical School, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Houston, 77030 TX, USA
| | - Seyed H. Ghaffari
- Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation Research Center, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1411713135 Iran
| | - Davood Bashash
- Department of Hematology and Blood Banking, School of Allied Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 1971653313 Iran
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Caño Velasco J, Artero Fullana S, Polanco Pujol L, Lafuente Puentedura A, Subiela JD, Aragón Chamizo J, Moralejo Gárate M, Hernández Fernández C. Use of Bladder Epicheck® in the follow-up of high-risk non-muscle-invasive Bladder cancer: A systematic literature review. Actas Urol Esp 2024:S2173-5786(24)00064-7. [PMID: 38735433 DOI: 10.1016/j.acuroe.2024.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION In recent years, different urinary markers such as the Bladder Epicheck® have been developed in an attempt to reduce the number of cystoscopies in the follow-up of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). AIM To provide a systematic review of Bladder Epicheck® and its current clinical utility in the follow-up and detection of recurrence of NMIBC. MATERIAL AND METHODS Systematic review based on a literature search of PubMed, Web of Science and Scopus databases until October 2023, according to PRISMA and Quadas-2 criteria. Sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of the marker were calculated. Diagnostic performance was evaluated by the area under the curve (AUC). RESULTS Fifteen studies were analyzed (n = 3761) including 86.7% prospective studies. Of the patient series, 53.2% had received previous intravesical instillations. The mean Se of the biomarker in the detection of recurrence varied according to tumor grade (87.9%-high grade/HG vs. 44.9%-low grade/LG, respectively). Their weighted mean Se and Sp were 71.6% and 84.5%, respectively. The mean recurrence rate was 29.1%. The weighted mean PPV and NPV were 56.4% and 92.8% (97.7% non-LG), respectively. The mean AUC was 85.63%. CONCLUSION Bladder Epicheck® is a useful urinary marker in the follow-up of NMIBC, with significantly high Se and NPV in the detection of recurrences, especially in cases of HG disease. Its use can reduce the number of cystoscopies required in the follow-up of NMIBC, improving the quality of life of patients and potentially increasing health economic savings.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Caño Velasco
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
| | - S Artero Fullana
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - L Polanco Pujol
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Lafuente Puentedura
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - J D Subiela
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | - J Aragón Chamizo
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - M Moralejo Gárate
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Hernández Fernández
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
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Palermo M, D'Elia C, Trenti E, Comploj E, Mian C, Schwienbacher C, Heidegger I, Clauser S, Pycha A, Vjaters E. Prospective evaluation of the RT-PCR based urinary marker Bladder Epicheck® as a diagnostic tool in upper urinary tract tumor. Minerva Urol Nephrol 2024; 76:195-202. [PMID: 38498297 DOI: 10.23736/s2724-6051.23.05488-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Upper-tract-urothelial-carcinoma (UTUC) represents 5-10% of all urothelial-neoplasms with increasing incidence in the last decades. Current standard tools for diagnosis of UTUC include cytology, computed tomography (CT) urography and ureterorenoscopy (URS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of Bladder Epicheck® Test as diagnostic tool for UTUC diagnosis and recurrence. METHODS Overall, 136 urine samples, selective collected from upper-urinary-tract before URS for suspicion of UTUC were analyzed with cytology and Bladder Epicheck® Test. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of both markers were calculated and compared to URS and/or histology as reference. RESULTS UTUC was detected in 40 cases (33.3%), among them 30 were classified as low-grade (LG) and 10 as high-grade (HG). Overall sensitivity of Bladder Epicheck® for UTUC detection was 65% compared to 42.5% for cytology, increasing to 100% for Bladder Epicheck® and 90% for cytology if considering only HG tumors. Overall specificity of Bladder Epicheck® was 81.2% and of cytology 93.7%. PPV and NPV were 63.4% and 82.2% for Bladder Epicheck® and 77.2% and 76.5% for cytology. Considering an EpiScore cut-off >75, instead of 60, specificity of Bladder Epicheck® improves to 89% and PPV to 74.2%. Limitations include the use of a marker validated only for bladder-cancer and the relatively small number of cases. CONCLUSIONS Due to its high sensitivity for HG tumors, the Bladder Epicheck® Test can be used in diagnosis and treatment decision-making of UTUC. Furthermore, it could be very useful in follow-up of UTUC, after endoscopic treatment to postpone or avoid unnecessary endoscopic exploration. Even if further studies are needed to validate these findings, Bladder Epicheck® could be a promising clinical tool for detection of UTUC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Carolina D'Elia
- Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Emanuela Trenti
- Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy -
| | - Evi Comploj
- Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Christine Mian
- Department of Pathology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | | | - Isabel Heidegger
- Department of Urology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
| | - Silvia Clauser
- Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
| | - Armin Pycha
- Department of Urology, Central Hospital of Bolzano, Bolzano, Italy
- Medical School, Sigmund Freud Private University, Vienna, Austria
| | - Egils Vjaters
- Department of Urology, Riga Stradins University Hospital, Riga, Latvia
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Pierconti F, Rossi ED, Fiorentino V, Bakacs A, Carlino A, Navarra E, Sacco E, Totaro A, Palermo G, Larocca LM, Martini M. Methylation Analysis of Urinary Sample in Non-Muscle-Invasive Bladder Carcinoma: Frequency and Management of Invalid Result. Biomedicines 2023; 11:3288. [PMID: 38137509 PMCID: PMC10741688 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines11123288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Numerous studies showed that methylation analysis represents a newly developed urinary marker based on DNA methylation changes in a panel of genomic biomarkers and it could represent a valid tool in terms of the diagnosis and prediction of high-grade urothelial carcinoma recurrences. One of the limits of the use of this new molecular method during a follow-up is represented by the number of invalid tests in routine practice. METHOD A total of 782 patients with a diagnosis of non-muscle-invasive high-grade carcinoma (NMIBC) was studied. The Bladder EpiCheck test (BE) was performed together with cytology in all cases within 1 year after the end of treatment. In 402 patients, the urinary samples were voided urine (UV), while, in 380 cases, the samples were collected after bladder washing (IU). For all the patients with invalid BE results, a second BE test was performed following the instructions for use that indicated the test should be repeated with a new urinary sample in the case of an invalid result. RESULTS Analyzing the two different groups (UV and IU), we found the invalid BE results seemed to be not related to urinary samples (p = 0.13 Fisher's exact test), suggesting that the collection method was not relevant in order to reduce the number of invalid tests. CONCLUSIONS In the follow-up for NMIBC, for patients for whom a BE test is planned, a combined approach of cytology and a methylation test is recommended in order to repeat the BE test with an invalid result only in those cases with a cytological diagnosis of atypical urothelial cells (AUC) suspicious for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (SHGUC) and high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC).
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Pierconti
- Institute of Pathology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00153 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (A.B.); (E.N.)
| | - E. D. Rossi
- Institute of Pathology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00153 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (A.B.); (E.N.)
| | - V. Fiorentino
- Institute of Pathology, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (V.F.); (M.M.)
| | - A. Bakacs
- Institute of Pathology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00153 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (A.B.); (E.N.)
| | - A. Carlino
- Institute of Pathology, UniCamillus Rome, 00131 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (L.M.L.)
| | - E. Navarra
- Institute of Pathology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00153 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (A.B.); (E.N.)
| | - E. Sacco
- Institute of Urology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.S.); (A.T.); (G.P.)
| | - A. Totaro
- Institute of Urology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.S.); (A.T.); (G.P.)
| | - G. Palermo
- Institute of Urology, Catholic University of Rome, Fondazione Policlinico Gemelli Roma, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.S.); (A.T.); (G.P.)
| | - L. M. Larocca
- Institute of Pathology, UniCamillus Rome, 00131 Rome, Italy; (A.C.); (L.M.L.)
| | - M. Martini
- Institute of Pathology, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (V.F.); (M.M.)
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Caño Velasco J, Polanco Pujol L, Moreno Cortés JC, Lafuente Puentedura A, Hernández Fernández C. Bladder Epicheck® for surveillance in high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer: Initial experience and follow-up proposal. Actas Urol Esp 2023; 47:471-473. [PMID: 37391165 DOI: 10.1016/j.acuroe.2023.06.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- J Caño Velasco
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain.
| | - L Polanco Pujol
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - J C Moreno Cortés
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - A Lafuente Puentedura
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
| | - C Hernández Fernández
- Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Madrid, Spain
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Levy JJ, Chan N, Marotti JD, Kerr DA, Gutmann EJ, Glass RE, Dodge CP, Suriawinata AA, Christensen B, Liu X, Vaickus LJ. Large-scale validation study of an improved semiautonomous urine cytology assessment tool: AutoParis-X. Cancer Cytopathol 2023; 131:637-654. [PMID: 37377320 PMCID: PMC11251731 DOI: 10.1002/cncy.22732] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adopting a computational approach for the assessment of urine cytology specimens has the potential to improve the efficiency, accuracy, and reliability of bladder cancer screening, which has heretofore relied on semisubjective manual assessment methods. As rigorous, quantitative criteria and guidelines have been introduced for improving screening practices (e.g., The Paris System for Reporting Urinary Cytology), algorithms to emulate semiautonomous diagnostic decision-making have lagged behind, in part because of the complex and nuanced nature of urine cytology reporting. METHODS In this study, the authors report on the development and large-scale validation of a deep-learning tool, AutoParis-X, which can facilitate rapid, semiautonomous examination of urine cytology specimens. RESULTS The results of this large-scale, retrospective validation study indicate that AutoParis-X can accurately determine urothelial cell atypia and aggregate a wide variety of cell-related and cluster-related information across a slide to yield an atypia burden score, which correlates closely with overall specimen atypia and is predictive of Paris system diagnostic categories. Importantly, this approach accounts for challenges associated with the assessment of overlapping cell cluster borders, which improve the ability to predict specimen atypia and accurately estimate the nuclear-to-cytoplasm ratio for cells in these clusters. CONCLUSIONS The authors developed a publicly available, open-source, interactive web application that features a simple, easy-to-use display for examining urine cytology whole-slide images and determining the level of atypia in specific cells, flagging the most abnormal cells for pathologist review. The accuracy of AutoParis-X (and other semiautomated digital pathology systems) indicates that these technologies are approaching clinical readiness and necessitates full evaluation of these algorithms in head-to-head clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua J. Levy
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Department of Dermatology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Department of Epidemiology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
- Program in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Natt Chan
- Program in Quantitative Biomedical Sciences, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Jonathan D. Marotti
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Darcy A. Kerr
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Edward J. Gutmann
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | | | | | - Arief A. Suriawinata
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Brock Christensen
- Department of Epidemiology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
- Department of Molecular and Systems Biology, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Xiaoying Liu
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
| | - Louis J. Vaickus
- Emerging Diagnostic and Investigative Technologies, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Lebanon, NH, 03766
- Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine, Hanover, NH, 03756
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Fiorentino V, Pizzimenti C, Franchina M, Rossi ED, Tralongo P, Carlino A, Larocca LM, Martini M, Fadda G, Pierconti F. Bladder Epicheck Test: A Novel Tool to Support Urothelial Carcinoma Diagnosis in Urine Samples. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:12489. [PMID: 37569864 PMCID: PMC10420163 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241512489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 08/01/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Bladder cancer and upper urothelial tract carcinoma are common diseases with a high risk of recurrence, thus necessitating follow-up after initial treatment. The management of non-muscle invasive bladder carcinoma (NMIBC) after transurethral resection involves surveillance, intravesical therapy, and cytology with cystoscopy. Urinary cytology, cystoscopy, and radiological evaluation of the upper urinary tract are recommended during follow-up in the international urological guidelines. Cystoscopy is the standard examination for the first assessment and follow-up of NMIBC, and urine cytology is a widely used urinary test with high sensitivity for high-grade urothelial carcinoma (HGUC) and carcinoma in situ (CIS). In recent years, various urinary assays, including DNA methylation markers, have been used to detect bladder tumors. Among these, the Bladder EpiCheck test is one of the most widely used and is based on analysis of the methylation profile of urothelial cells to detect bladder neoplasms. This review assesses the importance of methylation analysis and the Bladder EpiCheck test as urinary biomarkers for diagnosing urothelial carcinomas in patients in follow-up for NMIBC, helping cytology and cystoscopy in doubtful cases. A combined approach of cytology and methylation analysis is suggested not only to diagnose HGUC, but also to predict clinical and histological recurrences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenzo Fiorentino
- Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (M.F.); (G.F.)
| | - Cristina Pizzimenti
- PhD Programme in Translational Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Department of Biomedical and Dental Sciences and Morphofunctional Imaging, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy;
| | - Mariausilia Franchina
- Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (M.F.); (G.F.)
| | - Esther Diana Rossi
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (P.T.); (A.C.); (F.P.)
| | - Pietro Tralongo
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (P.T.); (A.C.); (F.P.)
| | - Angela Carlino
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (P.T.); (A.C.); (F.P.)
| | - Luigi Maria Larocca
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, Saint Camillus International University of Health and Medical Sciences (UniCamillus), 00131 Rome, Italy;
| | - Maurizio Martini
- Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (M.F.); (G.F.)
| | - Guido Fadda
- Department of Human Pathology of the Adult and Developmental Age “G. Barresi”, University of Messina, 98125 Messina, Italy; (M.F.); (G.F.)
| | - Francesco Pierconti
- Department of Women, Children and Public Health Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Agostino Gemelli IRCCS University Hospital Foundation, 00168 Rome, Italy; (E.D.R.); (P.T.); (A.C.); (F.P.)
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