Loss of maspin expression in bladder cancer : its relationship with p53 and clinicopathological parameters

Abstract EN

Background and Purpose : Maspion (mammary serine protease inhibitor) is a member of the serpent superfamily of protease inhibitors and is known to have tumor suppressor function in breast and prostate cancers, acting at the level of tumor invasion and metastasis.

However, there have been no published data regarding the role of Maspion in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of urinary bladder.

Patients and Methods : we have evaluated the immunohistochemical expression of Maspion and p53 in a series of 134 bladder cancer patients (56 SCC and 78 TCC) and the interrelationship between clinic pathological features and Maspion and p53 expression.

Results : there was positive Maspion expression in 52.7 % in all cases.

In TCC, expression was found in 48 / 78 cases (61.5 %).

High Maspion expression was found in low grade (p < 0.001) and advanced stage (p = 0.02).

In SCC, expression was found in 24 / 56 (42.8 %).

There was a statistically significant association between lost Maspion expression and grading (p = 0.001).

No correlation was found between Maspion expression and other clinic pathological parameters including gender, clinical stage and Bilharzia infestation.

These results indicated that Maspion expression might predict a better prognosis for bladder carcinoma.

Also Maspion probably could play a role in tumor progression.

P 53 was positive in 70 cases (52.2 %) of all patients evaluated.

In TCC, it was positive in 36 / 78 cases (46.1 %) and correlated with high grade (p = 0.01) and advanced stage (p = 0.01).

In SCC, it was positive in 34 / 56 cases (60.7 %).

There was a statistically significant association between p53 expression and high grade (p = 0.01) and advanced stage (p = 0.01).

There was an inverse correlation between the Maspion and p53 expression in TCC and SCC of bladder cancer.

We found no significant association between both Maspion and p53 expression and bilharzias is in TCC and SCC ; this indicated that Maspion and p53 expression could be prognostic factors in both bilharzia and non-bilharzia bladder cancer.

Conclusions : the present study showed that no significant differences were seen regarding Maspion and p 53 expression in TCC and SCC.

Expression of both markers was not related to presence or absence of Bilharzia infestation.

Therefore, it can be concluded that both markers do not seem to play a role in the pathogenesis of either types of Egyptian bladder cancer.

However, both Maspion and p53 may have some prognostic value in bladder cancer that needs to be confirmed in further larger scale studies.