Abstract
Identification of prognostic markers in bladder carcinoma comprises a major clinical issue and therapeutic target. CD10 and the adhesion molecule E-cadherin (E-cad) are expressed in a variety of normal tissues and their neoplasms. CD10 is able to degrade extracellular matrix and other proteins, including adhesion molecules. The roles of CD10 and E-cad and their relationship in the development and progression of bladder carcinoma are poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression of CD10 and E-cad in bladder carcinomas and relate the results to the established prognostic factors. This study included 144 patients with bladder carcinoma, including 72 with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC; 30 bilharzial and 42 nonbilharzial) and 72 with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC; 38 bilharzial and 34 nonbilharzial). Immunohistochemical analysis for both CD10 and E-cad were carried out on paraffin-fixed sections of neoplastic bladder tissues. CD10 tumor cells, CD10 stromal cells, and E-cad were expressed in 56%, 58%, and 51% of cancer bladder cases, respectively. There was a statistically significant correlation between percentage of tumor cells positively stained by CD10 and each of the tumor grade, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis of both TCC and SCC. There was a significant statistical correlation between immunostaining by E-cad marker and each of the tumor grade, clinical stage, and lymph node metastasis of TCC, but no such association with SCC. The frequency of stromal expression of CD10 was higher in bilharzial-associated bladder carcinomas than in nonbilharzial ones, and these results were statistically significant. In conclusion, increased expression of CD10 in the tumor and stromal cells of both TCC and SCC and decreased expression of E-cad in the tumor cells of only TCC are strongly correlated with tumor progression, invasion, and metastasis in human bladder cancer.