Significant expression of CHK1 and p53 in bladder urothelial carcinoma as potential therapeutic targets and prognosis.

Checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) and p53 are involved in cell-cycle checkpoint, and cellular response to DNA damage. CHK1 and p53 are overexpressed in bladder urothelial carcinoma (BUC); however, a clear elucidation on their interaction and influence in the progress of BUC is absent. The aim of the present study was to examine the correlation between CHK1 and p53 in BUC, and analyze their value as therapeutic targets and prognostic indicators in BUC. A clinically annotated cohort of 110 patients with BUC was identified retrospectively. EnVision-based immunohistochemistry and western blot analysis of the aforementioned DNA repair proteins were conducted on formalin-fixed-paraffin-embedded or frozen tissues from the primary tumor. A total of 45 peritumoral tissue cases were assessed similarly as the control group. In the cohort of 110 patients with BUC, a significant overexpression of CHK1 and p53 was observed in primary compared with the peritumoral tissues (P<0.05). CHK1 and p53 demonstrated a positive correlation in BUC, and both were positively associated with the histological grade, clinical pathological staging, lymphatic metastasis and the 5-year survival rate (P<0.05). However, CHK1 and p53 were not associated with sex, age, tumor diameter, single/multiple sites or incipient/recurrence. The overexpression of CHK1 and p53, and their synergistic interaction were putatively correlated with the physiology of BUC that may be deemed as potential therapeutic targets and prognostic indicators.