INCREASED IMMUNODETECTION OF ACIDIC FIBROBLAST GROWTH-FACTOR IN BLADDER-CANCER, DETECTABLE IN URINE

Acidic fibroblast growth factor is a regulatory peptide involved in ce ll proliferation, differentiation and motility. We used a polyclonal a ntiserum raised against purified native bovine acidic fibroblast growt h factor, with no cross-reactivity for basic fibroblast growth factor to detect acidic fibroblast growth factor in tissue extracts and urine samples by means of a competitive enzyme immunoassay. Histochemical a nalysis was also performed on 10 specimens of normal urothelium and 50 of bladder cancer. Acidic fibroblast growth factor immunoreactive mat erial was found in normal urothelium (1.77 +/- 2 ng./gm. tissue) and w as increased more than 10-fold in patients with transitional cell carc inoma of the bladder (20.36 +/- 12 ng./gm. tissue). Immunohistochemica l analysis localized immunoreactivity in the epithelial compartment of bladder tumors. Acidic fibroblast growth factor was assayed in urine from 579 individuals comprising a control group (114) and patients wit h benign prostatic hypertrophy (133), carcinoma of the prostate (96) o r transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (236). There was a signif icant difference in the frequency of urinary acidic fibroblast growth factor detection among the patients with invasive transitional cell ca rcinoma, the control group (p <0.001) and the patients with prostatic disease (p <0.01). The sensitivity was 72% and the specificity was 91% . Furthermore, the frequency of acidic fibroblast growth factor detect ion by enzyme immunoassay in the urine and the intensity of immunostai ning was correlated with the stage of the disease. These data strongly suggest that acidic fibroblast growth factor is a potential marker fo r bladder tumors that may be of use in the noninvasive followup of pat ients with bladder cancer. We present a simple and reliable enzyme imm unoassay for the detection of acidic fibroblast growth factor in voide d urine that might be useful to quantitate this marker.