Epidermal growth factor receptor and proliferating cell nuclear antigen expression in urine ThinPrep specimens.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression in urine ThinPrep (TP) specimens, to compare these findings with clinical and histological features and to determine whether these immunomarkers are predictive of clinical stage.


METHODS
The TP processed urine samples and the corresponding tissue sections from 42 patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer (18 non-muscle invasive and 24 muscle invasive) were included in our study. Urine was collected for cytological evaluation before transurethral resection. Tumour grade and clinical stage were assessed from the transurethral resection specimens. The EGFR and PCNA expression was obtained by an automated immunostainer.


RESULTS
There was a remarkable concordance in the expression of both antibodies in TP smears and tissue sections. No significant association was detected for any of the immunomarkers examined with regard to tumour grade. The EGFR expression as well as grade of malignancy were significantly associated with stage of disease (P = 0.0001). PCNA was not found to be a significant predictor of stage (P = 0.210).


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggest that the evaluation of grade of malignancy and EGFR immunopositivity can be considered as reliable predictors of disease stage in urine TP specimens.
Politi
E N
EN
Department of Cytopathology, Aretaieion Hospital, The Athens National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece. cytology@aretaieio.uoa.gr
Lazaris
A C
AC
Lambropoulou
S
S
Alexopoulou
D
D
Kyriakidou
V
V
Koutselini
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003581:Cytodiagnosis / Q000379:methods; D066246:ErbB Receptors / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen / Q000032:analysis*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*
D018809:Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen; D066246:ErbB Receptors