[Apoptosis in renal adenocarcinoma. Expression of bcl-2 in locally confined tumors].
OBJECTIVE
Bcl-2 is a proto-oncogene known to be a negative regulator of apoptosis, whose expression conferring prolonged cell survival and contributing to tumorigenesis. Inconsistent results concerning bcl-2 expression and the frequency of apoptosis were noted in renal cell carcinoma. To investigate a possible role of bcl-2 protein in renal cell carcinomas, we analyzed its expression and relationship with clinical and pathological parameters, including prognostic impact.


METHODS
58 patients diagnosed of renal cell carcinoma stage pT1, pT2 and pT3a N0 M0 (TNM 1997) were treated by radical or partial nephrectomy. We analyzed clinical and pathological parameters including bcl-2 expression in paraffin-embedded tumor samples using immunohistochemical technique.


RESULTS
Bcl-2 immunopositivity was detected in 44/58 of the samples in different grades of intensity. There was no correlation of nuclear grade, tumoral size, stage or recurrency with bcl-2 immunopositivity. Bcl-2 expression was not related to prognosis if we divided all cases into subgroups according of stain intensity.


CONCLUSIONS
Bcl-2 expression was not related with any pathological parameters; size, nuclear grade and stage or prognostic.
Tejido Sánchez
A
A
Servicio de Urología, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid.
Sánchez Chapado
M
M
Duarte Ojeda
J M
JM
Tamayo Ruiz
J C
JC
Ruiz Ramos
P
P
Ruiz Villaespesa
A
A
Leiva Galvis
O
O
D017209:Apoptosis / Q000235:genetics*; D002292:Carcinoma, Renal Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics*; D019254:Genes, bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas