Tumor-Associated Antigens in Normal Mucosa of Patients With Superficial Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder

Antiangiogenesis as the novel mechanism for justicidin A in the anticancer effect on human bladder cancer

Justicidin A (JA) is one of the methanol extracts of Justicia procumbens and was reported to induce apoptosis and inhibit the proliferation of human colon cancer cells. Using bladder cancer as a paradigm, this study was designed to identify the novel molecular basis underlying the antiangiogenic activities of JA and its potential in cancer therapy. Human bladder cancer cell lines (TSGH8301 and RT4) and immortalized uroepithelial cell lines (E6 and E7) were chosen to investigate the efficacy of JA in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and angiogenesis in vitro. The biological effects of JA treatment in vivo were examined using a xenograft tumor model in SCID mice. JA showed a dose-dependent and time-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation on TSGH8301 cancer cells, with IC50 values determined to be 0.44 μmol/l. Of interest, TSGH8301 cancer cells were more sensitive to JA than E7 immortalized uroepithelial cells, especially at lower concentrations. We further showed that JA inhibited the autocrine production of angiogenic factors and matrix-degrading enzymes in vitro and microvessel density in SCID mice in vivo (P< 0.01). Both differential cytotoxicity and angiogenesis inhibition of JA were confirmed by SCID mice experiments. Together, JA showed antiangiogenesis in vitro and in vivo through pleiotropic positive and negative regulators of angiogenesis molecules. The current investigation supports the potential of JA as an alternative chemoprevention agent for human bladder cancer.

p53 in noncancerous bladder mucosa as a marker of disease recurrence in patients with superficial transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

We investigated the prevalence and clinical relevance of p53 nuclear overexpression in histologically benign bladder mucosa in patients with superficial transitional cell cancer (TCC) of the bladder to look for "premalignant" lesions as the source of tumor recurrence. p53 Accumulation in representative tumor and normal-looking bladder mucosa was studied in 53 patients with Ta and T1 TCC. Histologically normal bladder specimens from 20 prostate cancer patients served as controls. We used a biotin streptavidine-peroxidase system to stain deparaffinized tissue sections with the p53 monoclonal antibody DO7. Specimens from 42 (79%) of the 53 TCC patients stained for p53 in the tumor area. There was no statistically significant difference between pTa and pT1 lesions (pTa, 71.4%; pT1, 87.5%), and staining correlated weakly with tumor grade (G1, 62%; G2, 82%; G3, 100%). Evaluation of histologically normal bladder mucosa showed positive p53 staining in 13 (24.5%) of the 53 patients. Disease recurred in 20 patients. Among them, 12 had positive staining in the normal bladder mucosa. Although p53 expression in tumor areas showed only slight correlation with tumor recurrence (p = 0.043, Cochran-Armitage test), p53 accumulation in healthy bladder mucosa correlated strongly with disease recurrence (p < 0.0001, Fisher's exact test). p53 Overexpression in histologically normal bladder mucosa in patients with TCC might identify premalignant alterations in tumor-surrounding areas. Our data suggest that p53 accumulation in histologically benign bladder mucosa of TCC patients is a possible marker of disease recurrence.

The role of urinary cytology for detection of bladder cancer

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to test the value of urinary cytology in the diagnosis of bladder cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

One thousand three hundred and eighty voided urine and bladder wash specimens of 495 patients were evaluated by urinary cytology. All patients then underwent transurethral resection of suspicious bladder areas if cystoscopy and/or preceding biopsy were positive. Statistical differences were analysed using the two-sided Fisher's exact test and Cochran's test (p<0.05).

RESULTS

In 495 patients including 142 patients with bladder cancer urinary cytology revealed a sensitivity of 38.0% and a specificity of 98.3% with a positive and negative predictive value of 90.6 and 78.6, respectively. Sensitivity increased significantly with malignancy grade (p<0.05). In high grade tumours sensitivity improved from initial 52.2% up to 78.3% after the third sample. In sensitivity and specificity of voided urine and barbotage washing samples no significant difference was detected.

CONCLUSIONS

Urinary cytology has its place as an additive diagnostic tool to cystoscopy. None of the currently available urinary markers can replace cystoscopy but are helpful for specific diagnostic problems.

Alternatives to cytology in the management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer

The natural history of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is characterized by a high probability of recurrence and in the case of high-grade tumors, progression to muscle invasive cancer. This mandates a follow-up strategy designed to identify recurrences in the bladder early in their evolution in order to facilitate early intervention and ablation. Urine cytology is considered the gold standard urine biomarker. Although specificity exceeds 90% to 95%, its overall sensitivity ranges from 40% to 60% in expert hands and is both tumor grade and operator dependent. While cytology is an excellent test for detection of high-grade disease, the sensitivity is particularly weak for the detection of low grade tumors. This has spawned an entire field of research of in vitro diagnostic tests and cell-based assays in order to improve the diagnostic accuracy for detection of incident or recurrent disease. To date, the US Food and Drug Administration approved dipstick and immunoassays marketed as point-of-care tests. The point-of-care tests are intended for use as an adjunct to cystoscopy and cytology, and may have a role in the office evaluation of hematuria patients. Monoclonal antibody-based tests combined with cytology may improve the diagnostic accuracy and are superior to cytology alone. A recently approved cell-based assay, utilizing fluorescent in situ hybridization technology, may help resolve suspicious cytologies, and provide early and additional information about the biology of the bladder urothelium beyond that provided by cytology, a marker of disease relatively late in evolution. Novel promising markers are in various stages of clinical testing, and a panel of biomarkers may serve in the future as a feasible alternative to urine cytology and cystoscopy for the screening, detection, and follow-up of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer.

Clonality of multifocal urothelial carcinomas: 10 years of molecular genetic studies

Multifocal occurrence and frequent recurrence are characteristic features of urothelial carcinomas of both the urinary bladder and the upper urinary tract. To describe the clonal nature of these tumors, 2 theories have been proposed. The monoclonality hypothesis describes the multiple tumors as descendants of a single genetically transformed cell spreading throughout the urothelium. In contrast, field cancerization caused by carcinogen exposure of the urothelium may lead to independent development of synchronous or metachronous nonrelated tumors at different sites of the urothelial tract. In the last 10 years, a multitude of molecular genetic studies have investigated the clonality of multifocal urothelial carcinomas. The majority of studies revealed a monoclonal origin of the multiple tumors. However, most of these studies investigated advanced invasive carcinomas. A small but significant proportion of multifocal urothelial carcinomas appear to arise from different clones, supporting the field-cancerization hypothesis. Oligoclonal tumors might be more common in precursor lesions and early tumor stages. The frequent monoclonality found in patients with advanced tumors could be due to outgrowth of 1 tumor cell clone with specific genetic alterations. Two important mechanisms appear to be important for the spread of malignant cells: intraluminal seeding and intraepithelial migration. Investigation of the entire urothelial lining in patients with urothelial tumors should provide further insight into the development of multifocal urothelial carcinomas.

Parathyroid hormone related peptide and receptor expression in paired primary prostate cancer and bone metastases

Parathyroid hormone-related peptide is a regulatory protein implicated in the pathogenesis of bone metastases, particularly in breast carcinoma. Parathyroid hormone-related peptide is widely expressed in primary prostate cancers but there are few reports of its expression in prostatic metastases. The aim of this study was to examine the expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide and its receptor in matched primary and in bone metastatic tissue from patients with untreated adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Eight-millimetre trephine iliac crest bone biopsies containing metastatic prostate cancer were obtained from 14 patients from whom matched primary tumour tissue was also available. Histological grading was performed by an independent pathologist. The cellular location of mRNA for parathyroid hormone-related peptide and parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor was identified using in situ hybridization with (35)S-labelled probe. Expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide and its receptor was described as uniform, heterogenous or negative within the tumour cell population. Parathyroid hormone-related peptide expression was positive in 13 out of 14 primary tumours and in all 14 metastases. Receptor expression was evident in all 14 primaries and 12 out of 14 metastases. Co-expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide and parathyroid hormone-related peptide receptor was common (13 primary tumours, 12 metastases). The co-expression of parathyroid hormone-related peptide and its receptor suggest that autocrine parathyroid hormone-related peptide mediated stimulation may be a mechanism of escape from normal growth regulatory pathways. The high frequency of parathyroid hormone-related peptide expression in metastases is consistent with a role in the pathogenesis of bone metastases.

Chromosome 9 deletions and recurrence of superficial bladder cancer: identification of four regions of prognostic interest

In a previous study, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) of 28 chromosome 9 microsatellite markers was assessed on 139 Ta/T1 bladder tumors. LOH at one or more loci was detected in 67 tumors, 62 presenting subchromosomal deletions. One hundred and thirty-three of these patients have now been followed for up to 8 years. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the potential biological significance of chromosome 9 deletions in superficial bladder tumors at initial diagnosis. High grade was associated with LOH (P=0.004). Large tumors carried more frequently 9p deletions (P=0.022). Female patients had more chromosome 9q LOH than male patients did (P=0.010). Chromosome 9 LOH at all loci was associated with an elevated risk of recurrence but four regions were associated with a particularly high risk of recurrence. Multivariate analysis taking into account grade, stage, size and number of tumors showed that tumors deleted in the regions 9ptr-p22, 9q22.3, 9q33, and 9q34 recurred significantly more rapidly than those without deletions (Recurrence rate ratio=2.32, 2.53, 2.52 and 2.43 respectively). Log-rank statistics comparing Kaplan-Meier survival curves for the same chromosomal regions confirmed the correlation (P=0.0002, 0.010, 0.002 and 0.009 respectively). Only four patients progressed to muscle-invasive disease. They all had extensive deletions on 9q but none had deletions at 9ptr-p22. This study suggests a link between chromosome 9 anomalies and recurrence of superficial bladder cancer.