Acta Pharmacologica Sinica 2008 March; 29 (3): 364-370; doi: 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2008.00747.x

Aim: To investigate the possible correlation of nucleophosmin/B23 expression with bladder carcinoma recurrence.

Methods: Surgically-resected bladder tumors staged pTa to pT4 were examined for nucleophosmin/B23 expression by immuno-histochemistry. The study group consisted of 132 consecutive patients surgically treated at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between December 1998 and November 1999. The mean follow up was 72 months (range: 48-84 months).

Results: Nuclear nucleophosmin/B23 staining was detected in 96% of advanced stage and poorly-differentiated tumors. Higher nucleophosmin/B23 levels were linked to more advanced tumor stages, grades, poor prognosis, and likelihood of recurrence (P<0.05). The Cox multivariate analysis indicated the nucleophosmin/B23 expression as an independent indicator for tumor recurrence (P=0.009).

Conclusion: The results suggest that nucleophosmin/B23 is a favorable prognostic indicator for bladder cancer. Nucleophosmin/B23 could be a useful molecular tumor marker for predicting bladder cancer recurrence.

Keywords: bladder carcinoma recurrence; nucleophosmin/B23; immunohistochemistry