Tumor markers during screening and monitoring of patients with cancer of the urinary bladder

Abstract

The study was undertaken to evaluate the specificity and sensitivity of a rapid method for qualitative determination of the content of NMP 22 in the diagnosis of cancer of the bladder, as well as the efficiency of the method in detecting recurrences of this disease.

The method is based on enzyme immunoassay of the nuclear matrix proteins that are incorporated into the cell nuclear membrane, whose levels are approximately 20—80 times higher in the cancer cells of the bladder. The study included 83 patients. Group 1 comprised 18 patients with new-onset bladder cancer. Group 2 comprised 26 patients with histologically verified recurrent bladder cancer. Group 3 consisted of 19 patients who had a history of bladder cancer, received surgical treatment, and had no recurrences for at least 6 months. The control group included 20 healthy donors.

The test urine was put into a test well and the results were assessed 30 minutes later.

The resultant sensitivity of the test was 50% (p < 0.05) in the patients with new-onset cancer of the bladder and 54% (p < 0.05) in those with its recurrent cancer. With staging and grading of the disease and with higher tumor anaplasia, the sensitivity of the test increases: 37, 75, and 80% in T1, T2, T3, respectively (p < 0.05); 30, 50, and 87% in G1 (p > 0.05), G2 (p < 0.05), G3 (p < 0.05). Its specificity was 100% in Group 3 and 90% in the control group (p < 0.05). Thus, its total specificity was 95% (p < 0.05). The study has led to the conclusion that detection of NMP 22 is a promising marker of bladder carcinoma, which show a rather high specificity and specificity not only in identifying primary tumors, but a recurrence of the disease.