Nitric oxide in patients with transitional bladder cancer.
OBJECTIVE
One of the current challenges in clinical oncology is the identification of patients with superficial transitional bladder carcinoma (TBC) at high risk of recurrence or myoinvasive disease. Recently, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression was detected in urinary bladder cancers. Because iNOS produces a high concentration of nitric oxide (NO), we thought it possible that urine from TBC patients produces high levels of NO. The aim of this study was to determine urine NO levels in TBC compared with healthy controls and with patients bearing other nonrelated tumors, as well as to examine iNOS expression in bladder cancer tissue.


METHODS
This study evaluated patients with TBC (n = 33), with gynecological tumors (GT) (n = 19), TBC patients with no evidence of tumor (no evidence of disease [NED]) (n = 19), and healthy subjects (n = 39). Urine NO levels were determined by Griess reagent, expressed as microM NO(2) (-)/100 mg creatinine.


RESULTS
TBC patients produced significantly higher urine NO median values (4.2 microM; range, 2.1-91.6) than were produced by healthy individuals (2.1 microM; range, 0.4-4.9), by the NED group (1.7 microM; range 1.2-5.4), and by GT patients (2.0 microM; range, 0.8-58.1) (P = 0.000, Kruskal-Wallis test). iNOS was detected by Western blot in 52% (13/25) of bladder tumors examined.


CONCLUSIONS
Although a wider study is necessary, our results suggest that the enhanced NO levels could perhaps be considered as a putative marker in TBC patients.
Eiján
Ana María
AM
Research Area and Surgical Area, Angel H. Roffo Institute of Oncology, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. anamariaeijan@arnet.com.ar
Piccardo
Inés
I
Riveros
María Doris
MD
Sandes
Eduardo Omar
EO
Porcella
Hugo
H
Jasnis
María Adela
MA
Sacerdote De Lustig
Eugenia
E
Malagrino
Hector
H
Pasik
Leonardo
L
Casabé
Alberto Ricardo
AR
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine*; D005260:Female; D006417:Hematuria / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000652:urine*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000096:biosynthesis; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000652:urine*
D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II