The Study of Expression of Caspase-3 in Bladder Cancer and Renal Cell Carcinima / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The caspase (ICE/CED-3) family of proteases have been implicated to play a important role in apoptosis and caspase-3(CPP32, YAMA, Apopain) exhibits the highest similarity to CED-3 which produced by CED-3 gene, the prototype of cell death gene in nematode. The objective of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of expression of caspase-3 in bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy five patients with bladder cancer and thirty eight patients with renal cell carcinoma were enrolled in this study. We performed immunohistochemical staining of caspase-3 in formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded tissue section using goat polyclonal antibody, specific for the p20 subunit of caspase-3. The expression of caspase-3 were compared with TNM stage, Ash grade, and size of tumor in bladder cancer, and TNM stage, Robson stage, Fuhrman nuclear grade, and size of tumor in renal cell carcinoma. RESULTS: The expression of caspase-3 were significantly correlated with T stage and N stage in bladder cancer(p=0.04, p=0.03). However, there were no significant correlation between the expression of caspase-3 and other prognostic parameters in bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma. Caspase-3 was diffusely stained in only 1 case of renal cell carcinoma. CONCLUSIONS: The prognostic value of expression of caspase-3 in patients with bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma were insufficient, but caspase-3 paly an important role in apoptosis and more studies are necessary for evaluation of many steps in apoptotic cascade of many cancers.