title: Nitric oxide in patients with transitional bladder cancer.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Area and Surgical Area, Angel H. Roffo Institute of Oncology, University of Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina. anamariaeijan@arnet.com.ar
authors.forename: Ana María
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Eiján
authors.forename: Inés
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Piccardo
authors.forename: María Doris
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Riveros
authors.forename: Eduardo Omar
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Sandes
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Porcella
authors.forename: María Adela
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Jasnis
authors.forename: Eugenia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sacerdote De Lustig
authors.forename: Hector
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Malagrino
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Pasik
authors.forename: Alberto Ricardo
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Casabé
mesh_terms: 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*
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; C496319:NOS2 protein, human; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II