Reduced thrombospondin-1 at presentation predicts disease progression in superficial bladder cancer.
OBJECTIVE
Superficial bladder cancer (SBC) presents a difficult clinical dilemma at diagnosis as only a small subgroup of patients will subsequently develop invasive disease. Study of cancer biology has found that angiogenesis is central to growth and spread. This study examines the relationship between the angiogenic inhibitory factor Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) at initial presentation and subsequent progression of SBC.


METHODS
Using immunohistochemistry, 220 cases of SBC were examined for pattern and extent of expression of TSP-1 at initial presentation.


RESULTS
TSP-1 was detected in perivascular tissue, at the epithelial-stromal junction, in the stroma and in tumour cells and reduced perivascular TSP-1 staining at presentation was an independent predictive factor for the subsequent development of muscle invasive or metastatic disease.


CONCLUSIONS
This adds further weight to the theory that TSP-1 plays a major part in the biology of bladder cancer possibly through the control of angiogenesis.
Goddard
Jonathan Charles
JC
Department of Urology, University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Leicester LE1 5WW, UK. jonathan@jcgoddard.freeserve.co.uk
Sutton
Christopher Derek
CD
Jones
Janet Louise
JL
O'Byrne
Kenneth John
KJ
Kockelbergh
Roger Clive
RC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D019700:Thrombospondin 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019700:Thrombospondin 1