HIGH-LEVELS OF TRANSFORMING GROWTH-FACTOR-ALPHA (TGF-ALPHA) MESSENGER-RNA MAY PREDICT LOCAL RELAPSES IN EARLY-STAGE URINARY-BLADDER CANCER

Elevated expression of transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) ge ne has been previously reported in some types of human neoplasms, but its role in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer has still not been inve stigated. In the present study, we analysed 28 samples of early stage bladder tumours for the presence of TGF-alpha mRNA using reverse trans cription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We detected TGF-alpha mRN A in 71% (20/28) of these samples. When we related the expression leve ls of TGF-alpha with local relapses of patients during a follow-up of 2 years, we found that a high TGF-cu expression level in bladder cance r was significantly associated with local relapses in patients with ea rly stage tumours. The appearance of early relapses in tumours with hi gh TGF-Ix expression levels may suggest the existence of an additional marker in the prediction of local relapses in patients with superfici al disease. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.