BACKGROUND: Membranous expression of the anti-adhesive glycoprotein podocalyxin-like (PODXL) has previously been found to correlate with poor prognosis in several major cancer forms.
Here we examined the prognostic impact of PODXL expression in urothelial bladder cancer.
METHODS: Immunohistochemical PODXL expression was examined in tissue microarrays with tumours from two independent cohorts of patients with urothelial bladder cancer: n=100 (Cohort I) and n=343 (Cohort II). The impact of PODXL expression on disease-specific survival (DSS; Cohort II), 5-year overall survival (OS; both cohorts) and 2-year progression-free survival (PFS; Cohort II) was assessed.
RESULTS: Membranous PODXL expression was significantly associated with more advanced tumour (T) stage and high-grade tumours in both cohorts, and a significantly reduced 5-year OS (unadjusted HR=2.25 in Cohort I and 3.10 in Cohort II, adjusted HR=2.05 in Cohort I and 2.18 in Cohort II) and DSS (unadjusted HR=4.36, adjusted HR=2.70). In patients with Ta and T1 tumours, membranous PODXL expression was an independent predictor of a reduced 2-year PFS (unadjusted HR=6.19, adjusted HR=4.60) and DSS (unadjusted HR=8.34, adjusted HR=7.16).
CONCLUSION: Membranous PODXL expression is an independent risk factor for progressive disease and death in patients with urothelial bladder cancer.
Written by:
Boman K, Larsson AH, Segersten U, Kuteeva E, Johannesson H, Nodin B, Eberhard J, Uhlén M, Malmström PU, Jirström K. Are you the author?
Division of Pathology, Department of Clinical Sciences, Lund University, Skåne University Hospital, 221 85 Lund, Sweden.
Reference: Br J Cancer. 2013 Jun 11;108(11):2321-8.
doi: 10.1038/bjc.2013.215
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 23652315
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