Molecular Detection of MRNA-urokinase Plasminogen Activator By In situ hybridization in Bladder Carcinoma

Abstract

Tumors of the bladder pose biologic and clinical challenge. Despite significant inroads into their origin and improved methods of diagnosis and treatment, they continue to a high tall in mortality and morbidity (Landi.\· et a/, 20(J3).

Bladder carcinoma is one of the most common cancers in the world. It constitutes 4% of all cancers, with steady increases in incidence. The median age is 65 years with male predominance 3: 1 (EI- Bollwiny, 2000).

In Egypt, El- l3olkainy (2000) demonstrated that, bladder cancer constituted about 18% of all total cancer while in national cancer institute (NCI) series, it constituted about 32%. This high incidence of bladder cancer in Egypt is caused by endemicity of bilharziasis and cigarette smoking (EI- Bolkainy, 2000).

Bladder carcinogenesis is probably related to bacterial and viral infections, commonly associ ted with bilharzia! infection, rather than the parasite itself. The urinary bacteria have dual action; secretion or B­

glucouronidasc enzyme which cleaves conjugated carcinogens yielding free carcinogenic products in addition to production of nitrosamincs (Crawford eta!, 2003).

Histologically determined tumor grade and stage arc pnmary prognostic variables in bladder cancer that dictate treatment strategies. Although these two conventional histopathological variables provide certain degree of stratification of tumor biological potential, a significant degree of tumor heterogeneity remains even within various prognostic subgroups. Thus accurate and reliable prediction of tumor aggressiveness is difficult. So intense effort has been made up to develop biological