The Evaluation of Tumor Recurrence Markers P53 and CD44 in Low Risk Superficial Transitional Cell Carcinoma of the Bladder

This study was designed to evaluate the correlation of superficial, low grade, unifocal bladder TCC recurrences and the level of tumor markers P53 and CD44 in the tumor tissue.In 95 patients with primary diagnosis of unifocal superficial TCC of the bladder TURBT was done. Sixty patients (M = 49, F = 11) with unifocal, superficial (stage Ta or T1), low grade (grade 1 or 2) papillary TCC of the bladder without carcinoma in situ were enrolled to the study and completed it. Tumor tissue sections were immunohistochemically stained for P53 and CD44 separately. Follow up cystoscopy was performed every 3 months for the first year and every 6 months for the second year. Recurrence rate of tumor was compared between P53 positive and p53 negative groups and between CD44 positive and CD44 negative groups. The mean age of the patients was 59.7 years. The overall recurrence rate was 53%. It was 64.5% in P53 positive and 41.2% in P53 negative group (P = 0.07). Recurrence rate in CD44 positive and CD44 negative group was 72% and 40% (P < 0.02) and recurrence rate in both positive marker (CD44 and P53) groups was 87.5% and in both negative marker groups was 40 % (P < 0.02). Our results suggest that there is a remarkable relationship between CD44 positive group, specially CD44 and P53 positive group and recurrence rate in low risk superficial TCC, but the relationship between P53 positive group and recurrence is not statistically significant.