EXPRESSION OF CATHEPSIN D IN TRANSITIONAL CELL BLADDER TUMOURS

✍ Scribed by LIPPONEN, PERTTI K.

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1996
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 639 KB
• Volume: 178
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0022-3417
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1096-9896(199601)178:1<59::aid-path418>3.0.co;2-e

✦ Synopsis

Biopsy specimens from 177 bladder tumours were analysed by immunohistochemical methods for the expression of cathepsin D. Strong expression of cathepsin D was detected in transitional carcinoma cells in 40 per cent of cases. Umbrella cells were positive in 29 per cent of cases and a cathepsin D-positive cell zone composed of tissue macrophages was detected at the invasion front in 34 per cent of tumours. Strong expression of cathepsin D was related to muscle invasive growth phase (T22) (P=0-019), grade 2-3 histology (P=O-OOS), S-phase fraction over 10 per cent (P=0.032), and overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) (P<OOOl). Umbrella cells were positive in low-grade (P=0.03) papillary tumours (P=0.02) with an S-phase fraction < l o per cent (P=0.02). Cathepsin D was expressed in macrophage-like cells in the invasion front in tumours which were densely infiltrated by inflammatory cells (P=0.017) and in tumours overexpressing EGFR (P=0.017) or p53 protein (P=0*007). Progression in N-(P=0-04) and M-categories (P=O*Ol) was related to strong expression of cathepsin D in cancer cells and in univariate survival analysis; this was weakly related to poor outcome (P=0.09). In multivariate analysis, papillary status (P= 0.055) and S-phase fraction (P0.079) predicted prognosis in Ta-1 tumours. In T 2 4 tumours, T-category (P<O.OOl), papillary status (P<O.OOl), S-phase fraction (P= 0.028), and the presence of cathepsin D-positive tissue macrophages (P=0-017) were independent prognostic factors.