Bcl-2/bax mRNA expression ratio as prognostic factor in low-grade urinary bladder cancer.
Apoptotic cell death represents an important mechanism for the precise regulation of cell numbers, and a defence mechanism against tumoral cell. bcl-2 and bax genes are known to be involved in the control of apoptotic pathways; in particular, the ratio between bcl-2 and bax represents a cell rheostat that is able to predict a cell's response toward life or death to an apoptotic stimulus. In the present study we investigated the role of bcl-2 and bax gene expression in a panel of 37 low-grade tumours of the urinary bladder, and correlated the expression of these genes to the prognosis of patients in a follow-up of more than one year. We found that levels of bax expression higher than bcl-2 in bladder tumours well correlates to a better outcome for patients. Early relapses are much more frequently observed in those patients whose tumours express more bcl-2 than bax mRNA. We conclude that the bcl-2/bax expression ratio may be considered as a marker for disease progression in low grade bladder tumours, independently of clinical staging and histological grading.
Gazzaniga
P
P
Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Patologia, Università, La Sapienza, Rome, Italy.
Gradilone
A
A
Vercillo
R
R
Gandini
O
O
Silvestri
I
I
Napolitano
M
M
Albonici
L
L
Vincenzoni
A
A
Gallucci
M
M
Frati
L
L
Agliano
A M
AM
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017209:Apoptosis; D001483:Base Sequence; D017931:DNA Primers / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011379:Prognosis; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics; D012008:Recurrence; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
C494826:BAX protein, human; D017931:DNA Primers; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein