Immunohistochemical markers in predicting behavior of bladder urothelial carcinoma.

Background: Bladder cancer is the 5^th most prevalent cancer among Iranian men. Finding prognostic markers to predict behavior of this cancer can help us to choose the best treatment for patients from the first place. We aimed to evaluate the correlation of immunohistochemical markers with tumor stage, grade and prognosis of disease.

Methods: In this study, we reassessed the specs of proven UC among Iranian patients. Sixty specimens were collected, contained of 30 low grade and 30 high grade urothelial carcinomas. All slides were assessed by immunohistochemistry study for p21, p27, Her-2/neu, E-cadherin, and CD10. Data were analyzed by SPSS 18.0 and a p-value < 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: We evaluated 60 patients in this study with mean age of 66±11 years and majority of them are men. High expression of p27 showed significant correlation with LGUC (P=0.030). HGUC related with high expression of Her-2/neu, CD10 and aberrant expression of E-Cadherin (P<0.0001). Aberrant E-Cadherin and high expression of CD10 are associated with higher tumor stage (P=0.000). CD10 intensity was the only immunohistochemical markers to predict prognosis (P=0.010).

Conclusion: In the present study, CD10 intensity is the only marker that directly predicts the prognosis. The higher intensity leads to poor prognosis (recurrence or metastasis). More studies must be done in this aspect to resolve the controversies and clarify the role of immunohistochemical markers in predicting BC behaviors.