Association of thymosin beta 4 expression with clinicopathological parameters and clinical outcomes of bladder cancer patients

作者：Wang, Z. Y.^*; Zhang, W.; Yang, J. J.; Song, D. K.; Wei, J. X.; Gao, S.

来源：Neoplasma, 2016, 63(6): 991-998.

DOI：10.4149/neo_2016_619

• thymosin beta 4
• bladder cancer
• prognosis
• immunohistochemistry
• epithelial to mesenchymal transition
• integrin-linked kinase
• E-cadherin

The clinical significance of thymosin beta 4 (T beta 4) expression in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC) remains unclear. The present study assessed the relationship between the expression of T beta 4 protein and the clinicopathological features, as well as the prognosis of bladder cancer patients. T beta 4 protein expression in 24 normal bladder and 138 primary BTCC tissue specimens was detected by immunohistochemistry, and the association of this expression with BTCC clinicopathological features and recurrence as well as patient survival was analyzed. T beta 4 expression was significantly stronger in BTCC patients than in normal volunteers. The expression of T beta 4 was significantly associated with differentiation capability, tumor stage and lymph node metastasis (P = 0.025, 0.043, and 0.039, respectively). Moreover, T beta 4 expression was positively correlated with integrin-linked kinase (ILK) and (beta-catenin expression (P = 0.042, 0.031, respectively) and inversely correlated with E-cadherin expression (P = 0.022). In the present cohort of bladder cancer patients, T beta 4 expression was found to be a predictor of poor survival (P < 0.05); however, high T beta 4 expression exhibited unfavorable prognostic value for recurrence. These data suggested that T beta 4 is correlated with the pathogenesis of BTCC. In addition, the patients with higher T beta 4 expression had a shorter survival.

• 出版日期2016
• 单位郑州大学