Nucleolar organizer regions: a new prognostic factor for upper tract urothelial cancer

Apoptosis in transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter: association with proliferative activity, bcl-2 expression and prognosis

PURPOSE

We attempted to clarify the significance of apoptosis in tumor development and progression in 64 cases of transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter by investigating apoptosis, proliferative activity and bcl-2 expression.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We used in situ deoxyribonucleic acid nick end labeling for apoptotic cells and immunohistochemical staining for bcl-2 on archival tumor material.

RESULTS

The apoptotic index correlated significantly with mitotic index, histological grade and pathological stage. There was no significant relationship between apoptotic index and bcl-2 expression. Patients with an apoptotic index greater than or equal to 0.22 had a poor prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Apoptosis is closely related to proliferative activity, tumor differentiation and depth of invasion in transitional cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis and ureter.

Predictive value of argyrophilic nucleolar-organizer-region-associated proteins in bladder cancer, using cell-imprint preparations

The predictive value of quantifying argyrophilic nucleolar-organizer-region-associated proteins (Ag-NOR) in routinely processed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of bladder cancer remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cell-imprint preparations facilitate a more accurate determination of the mean number of Ag-NOR per cell (Ag-NOR score). The utility of using the Ag-NOR scores of cell-imprint preparations as a prognostic indicator in patients with bladder cancer was explored. We evaluated 90 patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer using cell-imprint preparations to determine Ag-NOR score. The score significantly correlated with known prognostic factors associated with this tumor, including histological grade (P < 0.001), pathological stage (P < 0.01), and papillary structure (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the Ag-NOR score appeared to be an independent predictor of intravesical tumor recurrence of superficial bladder cancer (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the Ag-NOR score determined in a cell imprint preparation may serve as a useful prognostic indicator in bladder cancer.