Clinical Evaluation of Human Telomerase Catalytic Subunit in Bladder Washings from Patients with Bladder Cancer

Abstract

Purpose:

We examined the expression of mRNA of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), a catalytic subunit of the telomerase complex, in bladder washings as a tumor marker for the detection of bladder cancer.

Materials and Methods:

Bladder washings were obtained from 63 patients. We examined the expression of hTERT mRNA by the nested reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method and also measured the relative expressions of hTERT mRNA and β₂-microglobulin (β₂-MG) in these samples by RT-PCR analysis. Correlations between the relative expression of hTERT mRNA and clinical features were analyzed. We also compared the sensitivity of this assay with that of urinary cytology.

Results:

By nested RT-PCR, we detected three false-positive cases (11%) in the control group. Therefore, the relative expression values of hTERT mRNA and β₂-MG correlated strongly with tumor size, but not with multiplicity or histologic grade. When the cut-off value of the expression was fixed at 0.27%, the sensitivity and specificity of this assay were 74% and 93%, respectively. This assay was more sensitive than urinary cytology for the detection of bladder cancer.

Conclusion:

These results suggest that the relative expression of hTERT mRNA in bladder washings is useful in screening for bladder cancer. Relative expression is of assistance in diagnosing bladder cancer.