Elevation of hyaluronidase-1 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 helps select bladder cancer patients at risk of invasion

Background. The identification of accurate bladder tumor marker/tests could improve diagnosis, recurrence monitoring and treatment in patients with bladder cancer. This study evaluates the potential usefulness of hyaluronidase-1 (HYAL-1) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) in Egyptian bladder cancer patients. Methods. A total of 210 tissue, serum and urine specimens were used to investigate HYAL-1 and sICAM-1 expression by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and enzyme immunoassay (EIA) techniques, respectively. Results. The detection of urinary and tissue HYAL-1 mRNA as well as urinary and circulating sICAM-1 were higher in the malignant than the control group (p <0.0001). In the cancer group, both HYAL-1 and sICAM-1 were significantly correlated with each other and with the patient's age. Also, they were increased in advanced and poorly differentiated tumors (p <0.01). Patients with positive HYAL-1 had elevated sICAM-1 in their serum and urine (p <0.05). Although sometimes statistically insignificant, both markers tended to increase in lymph node and cytology positive than the corresponding negative subgroups. The levels of sICAM-1 (urinary and circulating) were elevated in relation to schistosomal infection (p <0.01). Using receiver operating characteristic curve, the best cut-off values for urinary and circulating sICAM-1 were 110 ng/mg creatinine and 130 ng/mL, respectively. Sensitivity, specificity and efficiency were > 80%. Conclusions. Serial monitoring of sICAM-1 (in urine and/or serum) is potentially recommended for selecting patients who are at risk of tumor invasion. (C) 2006 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc.