B and C domain containing tenascin-C: urinary markers for invasiveness of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder?
OBJECTIVE
Surveillance of urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (UBC) patients with respect to tumour recurrence and invasiveness is crucial for therapy and prognosis. Therefore, evaluation of non-invasive methods to monitor tumour progression is of high clinical interest. The study was aimed at investigating urinary concentrations of tenascin-C splicing domains for their value as tumour surveillance markers.


METHODS
Urinary concentration of B and C domain containing tenascin-C (Tn-C) was analysed by ELISA technology in 104 UBC patients, 11 patients with cystitis and 15 healthy donors as control. The investigation was supplemented by Tn-C immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.


RESULTS
A statistically significant increase in urinary concentrations of both Tn-C B and C domain with tumour progression could be evidenced. A concordant tumour-associated enhanced protein deposition in the carcinoma stroma could be demonstrated by immunohistochemistry in invasive UBC. Western blotting reveals proteolytic fragmentation of urinary Tn-C.


CONCLUSIONS
In summary, detection of Tn-C splicing domains in urine is suggested as a marker for the surveillance of UBC recurrence and invasiveness.
Richter
Petra
P
Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Jena, Ziegelmühlenweg 1, 07743 Jena, Germany.
Tost
Markus
M
Franz
Marcus
M
Altendorf-Hofmann
Annelore
A
Junker
Kerstin
K
Borsi
Laura
L
Neri
Dario
D
Kosmehl
Hartwig
H
Wunderlich
Heiko
H
Berndt
Alexander
A