Predictive value of argyrophilic nucleolar-organizer-region-associated proteins in bladder cancer, using cell-imprint preparations.

The predictive value of quantifying argyrophilic nucleolar-organizer-region-associated proteins (Ag-NOR) in routinely processed paraffin-embedded tissue sections of bladder cancer remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cell-imprint preparations facilitate a more accurate determination of the mean number of Ag-NOR per cell (Ag-NOR score). The utility of using the Ag-NOR scores of cell-imprint preparations as a prognostic indicator in patients with bladder cancer was explored. We evaluated 90 patients with newly diagnosed bladder cancer using cell-imprint preparations to determine Ag-NOR score. The score significantly correlated with known prognostic factors associated with this tumor, including histological grade (P < 0.001), pathological stage (P < 0.01), and papillary structure (P < 0.001). Furthermore, the Ag-NOR score appeared to be an independent predictor of intravesical tumor recurrence of superficial bladder cancer (P < 0.05). These results suggest that the Ag-NOR score determined in a cell imprint preparation may serve as a useful prognostic indicator in bladder cancer.