Human chorionic gonadotropin, neuron specific enolase and deoxyribonucleic acid flow cytometry in patients with high grade bladder carcinoma.

Biopsies from 64 patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (World Health Organization grade 3 and undifferentiated) were studied with deoxyribonucleic acid flow cytometry of fresh tissue and immunohistochemical staining on the histopathological slides for the presence of neuron specific enolase and human chorionic gonadotropin. No correlation was found among the presence of neuron specific enolase or human chorionic gonadotropin and T category, deoxyribonucleic acid ploidy, percentage of cells in the S phase, presence of metastatic disease or response to therapy. The prognosis for patients with muscle invasive disease and tumors positive for neuron specific enolase or human chorionic gonadotropin was similar to that for patients with tumors negative for these substances. When a possible new marker or prognostic factor is evaluated, it is important to investigate whether the new marker adds information on prognosis to what already is known by established standard methods. Further studies are needed to evaluate the clinical importance of human chorionic gonadotropin (and neuron specific enolase) as a marker in urothelial cancer with regard to prognosis and response to therapy.