Description): Patients with spinal cord injuries are known to have significantly increased risk (almost 500 fold) for developing bladder tumors. The investigators have recently identified nuclear matrix proteins (NMPs) with which it is possible to differentiate human bladder tumors from normal bladder epithelial cells. They have identified six proteins present in all tumor samples that are not present in the corresponding normal samples and three proteins that are unique to the normal bladder tissues in comparison to the tumor samples. They have demonstrated that nuclear matrix composition is able to differentiate bladder cancer from normal bladder tissue and that it may provide useful tools for early detection and recurrence of the disease in patients with spinal cord injuries. They therefore propose : (1) to develop an ELISA based assay utilizing agents raised against bladder cancer associated NMPs; (2) to demonstrate that this assay can detect bladder cancer NMPs in the urine of patients with diagnosed bladder cancer; and (3) to test urine samples of patients with spinal cord injuries to identify patients with bladder cancer, including squamous and TCC, and to determine if this assay is effective in identifying individuals with these tumors. The investigators propose that these studies may also provide a foundation for subsequent studies of the role and/or use of nuclear matrix proteins in the pathogenesis and treatment of bladder cancer.
| Konety, B R; Nguyen, T S; Dhir, R et al. (2000) Detection of bladder cancer using a novel nuclear matrix protein, BLCA-4. Clin Cancer Res 6:2618-25 |
| Konety, B R; Nguyen, T S; Brenes, G et al. (2000) Clinical usefulness of the novel marker BLCA-4 for the detection of bladder cancer. J Urol 164:634-9 |
