title: Expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor family in normal and malignant urothelium.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the immunohistochemically assessed expression of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) family in normal and malignant bladder urothelium, and suggest new hypotheses about their function in the development and progression of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC).
  
  
  METHODS
  EGFR, ERBB2, ERBB3 and ERBB4 were evaluated immunohistochemically in normal urothelium (NU, 15), primary non-metastasized invasive TCC (NMC, 19) and in primary invasive TCCs with corresponding metastases (MC, 51, both specimens).
  
  
  RESULTS
  All NU samples expressed ERBB4, none expressed ERBB2 and two expressed EGFR; all staining was uniform throughout all cell layers. ERBB2 expression increased and ERBB4 decreased from normal samples to carcinomas. There was no difference between NMCs and MCs in ERBB2, ERBB3 and ERBB4, but the NMCs expressed more EGFR than both NU and MC samples. There were no associations with T category, grade or survival. All combinations of expression levels for the four receptors were detected, with no dominant profile.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We hypothesise that: (i) ERBB4 is important for differentiation in NU; (ii) ERBB2 is up-regulated with carcinogenesis in the urinary bladder but does not discriminate between bladder cancer with or without metastases; (iii) EGFR may be a marker of indolent disease. A current hypothesis, that superficial layers of NU do not express EGFR and thus protect the basal cells from the mitogenic effect of urinary EGF, is challenged.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Cancer Research, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. ranveiro@labmed.uio.no
authors.forename: Ranveig
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Røtterud
authors.forename: Jahn Marthin
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Nesland
authors.forename: Aasmund
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berner
authors.forename: Sophie D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fosså
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000378:metabolism*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry / Q000379:methods; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000378:metabolism*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D066246:ErbB Receptors