The Expression and Clinical Implications of Forkhead Trasnscription Factor FKHR (FOXO1) in Human Bladder Cancer / 대한비뇨기과학회지

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Forkhead transcription factor FKHR (FOXO1) is one member of the Forkhead transcription factor family, and it is thought to regulate the glucose metabolism in human and to be related to both cell cycle progression and cell apoptosis. Herein, we investigated the expression level of FOXO1 and its clinical implications in bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 1992 to June 2005, 145 specimens were harvested from primary bladder cancer and 102 specimens were harvested from normal-looking tissue surrounding the tumor mass; these specimens were investigated for determining the mRNA expression levels of FOXO1 with using the real-time PCR method. The expression levels of FOXO1 were compared statistically with such clinical variables as stage, grade, recurrence and progression. Survival analysis was performed using the Kaplan-Meier model. RESULTS: The expression levels of FOXO1 in the bladder cancer specimens (28.19pg/ml) were significantly higher than those of the corresponding normal bladder tissues (8.87pg/ml) that surrounded the tumor mass (p<0.001), and the expression levels of FOXO1 were significantly correlated with stage and the progression of superficial disease (p<0.05 each). Also, the expressions of FOXO1 of the patients who remained alive during the study period were higher than those of the nonsurviving patients (p<0.001). A higher expression of FOXO1 in the patients with superficial bladder tumor showed more survival benefit than a lower expression (p=0.004). But the recurrence and differentiation of bladder cancer were not correlated with the expression level of FOXO1. CONCLUSIONS: This data indicate that the expression level of FOXO1 can be recommended as a useful marker to predict disease occurrence as well as the progression and survival of patients with superficial bladder cancer.