ABSTRACT
Expression of extracellular matrix metalloproteinase inducer (EMMPRIN) and fascin have recently received considerable attention as emerging key markers of cell invasion and metastasis in various types of cancers. The present study aimed to characterize the expression of EMMPRIN and fascin in a cohort of bladder cancer patients and to verify the association with clinicopathological characteristics. Immunohistochemical analysis of EMMPRIN and fascin was performed in 125 bladder cancer specimens, including 86 transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) and 39 squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cases. Overexpression of EMMPRIN and fascin was detected in 71.2 and 83.2% of bladder carcinomas, respectively, while neither was detectable in the normal adjacent epithelium. In SCC, EMMPRIN and fascin expression scores were found to be higher compared to TCC cases (P=0.031 and 0.053, respectively). Higher EMMPRIN and fascin immunoscores markedly correlated with tumor pathological (pT) stage in TCC (P<0.001) and SCC (P=0.004 and 0.001, respectively). High EMMPRIN expression was strongly associated with advanced grades in TCC and SCC (P=0.003 and 0.002, respectively). Cases were then stratified, according to the joint expression status of EMMPRIN and fascin, into four immunoprofiles. A highly significant association was found between various tumor immunoprofiles and pathological stage. Of those, the EMMPRIN-/fascin-positive immunophenotype was closely associated with pT3 and pT4 tumors. The findings suggested an association between increased EMMPRIN and fascin expression and increased progression of bladder cancer. Additionally, these two markers may act in concert to mediate a more aggressive behavior through enhanced tumor cell invasion.
