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High Frequency of Alteration in PTEN
Expression in Egyptian Patients with Urinary Bladder Cancer
Mohamed Abdel-Rahman1, Sultan Sultan2
1Department of Pathology, National Liver Institute,
2
Department of urology, Faculty of Medicine, Menoufiya University.
Tanta Med. Sc. J 2007; 2(3):30-36
Article type: Original article
Background/Aim: PTEN is a tumor suppressor gene
which is involved in the pathogenesis of multiple cancers including
urinary bladder cancer. Recent experimental evidence suggests that
PTEN could be utilized as an effective targeted therapy. The aim of
this study was to determine the frequency of PTEN alteration in
Egyptian patients with urinary bladder cancer and to investigate
potential role of PTEN in the pathogenesis of this tumor. Patients
and Methods: We examined PTEN expression using immunohistochemistry
in 19 unselected sporadic primary urinary bladder cancers from
Egyptian patients. Results: Of the 19 tumors, 6 (32%) showed no PTEN
immunostaining, 9 (47%) showed weak or partial staining and the
remaining 4 (21%) showed staining similar to the normal internal
controls. The strength of immunostaining correlated with tumor grade
with higher grade tumors showing more prominent PTEN loss.
Conclusion: This study indicates the high frequency of PTEN
alteration in urinary bladder cancer from Egyptian patients. The
results of this study also suggest that PTEN is involved in the
progression of these tumors. Finally these results may suggest the
utility of PTEN as a potential target for therapy of urinary bladder
cancers in Egyptian patients. |