title: Endoglin expression in upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma is associated with intravesical recurrence after radical nephroureterectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the expression and prognostic significance of endoglin in patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  zArchival formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissues from 99 cases of primary upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas treated with nephroureterectomy were retrieved. Tissue microarrays were constructed with triplicate tumor samples and paired non-neoplastic urothelium. Tissue microarrays were analyzed using immunohistochemistry for endoglin, and the associations between clinicopathological parameters and outcome were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Endoglin expression was significantly higher in the endothelium of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas than in paired benign urothelium (P < 0.001). Endoglin expression was not associated with pathological T stage or tumor grade, and it was not associated with increased hazard ratios for cancer-specific mortality, tumor recurrence in the lymph node or distant metastasis. However, expression of endoglin was significantly associated with intravesical recurrence, when adjusting for other relevant clinicopathological variables (P = 0.015).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Endoglin is overexpressed in the endothelium of upper urinary tract urothelial carcinomas when compared with normal urothelium, and this overexpression seems to be associated with a higher risk of intravesical recurrence. Therefore, endoglin could be a biomarker for the prediction of intravesical recurrence, as well as a potential therapeutic target.
authors: Department of Urology, Osaka University Graduate School of Medicine, Suita, Japan.
authors: Kazutoshi
authors: K
authors: Fujita
authors: Takeshi
authors: T
authors: Ujike
authors: Akira
authors: A
authors: Nagahara
authors: Motohide
authors: M
authors: Uemura
authors: Go
authors: G
authors: Tanigawa
authors: Kohki
authors: K
authors: Shimazu
authors: Hiroaki
authors: H
authors: Fushimi
authors: Seiji
authors: S
authors: Yamaguchi
authors: Norio
authors: N
authors: Nonomura
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000235:genetics*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000235:genetics; D002295:Carcinoma, Transitional Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery*; D000071063:Endoglin; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000473:pathology*; D009392:Nephrectomy; D010766:Phosphorylation; D011379:Prognosis; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics*; D015398:Signal Transduction; D016019:Survival Analysis; D014551:Urinary Tract / Q000378:metabolism*; D014571:Urologic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000601:surgery*; D019459:Urothelium / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C064206:ENG protein, human; D000071063:Endoglin; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface
keywords: endoglin; immunohistochemistry; intravesical recurrence; nephroureterectomy; upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma