High expression level of BLCA-4 correlates with poor prognosis in human bladder cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the association between BLCA-4 tissue expression and patients' prognosis in bladder cancer (BC).


METHODS
BLCA-4 expression was analyzed using immunohistochemical staining methods on tissue samples from a consecutive series of 325 BC patients who underwent resections between 2000 and 2006. The correlation of BLCA-4 expression and patients' clinicopathological parameters was evaluated. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier method and Cox's proportional hazards model.


RESULTS
BLCA-4 was highly expressed in 54.8% of the BC patients. BLCA-4 overexpression was significantly associated with tumor grade (P<0.001), and stage (P<0.001). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that high expression level of BLCA-4 resulted in a significantly poor prognosis of BC patients. Multivariate analysis revealed that the BLCA-4 expression level was an independent prognostic parameter for the overall survival rate of BC patients.


CONCLUSIONS
These findings provide evidence that high expression level of BLCA-4 serves as a poor prognostic biomarker for BC. BLCA-4 may be a potential target of antiangiogenic therapy for BC.
Urology Department, Kunming General Hospital of Chengdu Military Region, Kunming.
Qian
Q
Zhao
Wen-Hao
WH
Shen
Zhi-Wen
ZW
Chen
Zhan-Song
ZS
Zhou
Hui-Xiang
HX
Ji
D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D000368:Aged; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism*; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060787:Neoplasm Grading; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011379:Prognosis; D015996:Survival Rate; D001749:Urinary Bladder Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000401:mortality; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; C413062:BLCA-4 protein, human; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins