title: B domain containing Tenascin-C: a new urine marker for surveillance of patients with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder?
abstract: BACKGROUND
  ECM remodelling during tumorigenesis entails the re-occurrence of different Tn-C(L) splicing variants. In patients with urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (UBC), B and C domain containing Tenascin-C (B(+) and C(+) Tn-C) urine levels were shown to be increased in case of muscle invasiveness. Thus, the present study was aimed at examining the ability of B(+) and C(+) Tn-C as potential urinary surveillance markers of UBC patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Urine levels of B(+) and C(+) Tn-C were determined by ELISA in 35 UBC patients during a 2 year follow-up period after therapy and related to clinical diagnosis and histological stage in 4 defined groups representing typical courses of disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  B(+) Tn-C levels showed significant differences between cases of tumour progression or regression. The urine levels of B(+) Tn-C could be used to discriminate between cases without tumour recurrence and such with tumour existence (cut-off value: 0.8 ng/ml) or between non-muscle invasive and muscle invasive tumour growth (cut-off value: 3.5 ng/ml).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Progression of UBC with time is accompanied by significant changes in urinary levels of B(+) Tn-C. Urinary B(+) Tn-C can therefore be suggested as a valuable urine surveillance marker in UBC follow-up care.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pathology, University Hospital Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gecks
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Junker
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Franz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Richter
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Walther
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Voigt
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kosmehl
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wunderlich
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kiehntopf
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Berndt
mesh_terms: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000652:urine*; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*; D018450:Disease Progression; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006801:Humans; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D019063:Tenascin / Q000652:urine*; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000652:urine*
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019063:Tenascin