title: Clinical value of PTEN in patients with superficial bladder cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Frequent mutations or deletions of PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) are reported in bladder cancer, while there are few studies which evaluated PTEN as a clinical prognostic parameter of superficial bladder cancer. We prospectively evaluated PTEN expression in patients with superficial bladder cancer by immunohistochemical staining and defined the value of PTEN mutations in predicting tumor behavior of superficial bladder cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 190 patients were enrolled in this study. All of the patients underwent transurethral resection of bladder tumor and had superficial tumors. All pathologic materials used in this study were obtained from transurethral resection of bladder tumor. Immunohistochemical stainings were performed. The immunohistochemical staining intensity was judged to be either normal or reduced compared with the PTEN protein expression of positive and negative controls. Disappearance of more than 50% stained cytoplasmic granules was defined as reduced PTEN expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The alteration of PTEN expression was significantly different according to tumor stage and grade (p = 0.03, p = 0.048), especially high in carcinoma in situ. However, PTEN expression was not significantly correlated with disease recurrence, progression and recurrence- or progression-free survival.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced PTEN expression relates to aggressiveness of bladder tumors but seems not to have enough specificity for clinical use in the management of superficial bladder cancer.
authors.affiliation: Urologic Oncology Clinic, National Cancer Center, Goyang, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyung Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: In Gab
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Jeong
authors.forename: Jae Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Joung
authors.forename: Seung Ok
authors.initials: SO
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Jinsoo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chung
authors.forename: Ho Kyung
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.forename: Kyung Suk
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Weon Seo
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Kang Hyun
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis; D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D011446:Prospective Studies; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051059:PTEN Phosphohydrolase; C494929:PTEN protein, human