The Prognostic Role of the STK15 T91A Polymorphism and of STK15 mRNA Expression in Patients with Urothelial Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

Background: The prognostic role of the STK15 T91A polymorphism and of STK15 mRNA expression was investigated in patients with urothelial cell carcinoma (UCC). Materials and Methods: The STK15 genotype with respect to the T91A polymorphism was assessed by restriction fragment length polymorphism in 135 patients. STK15 mRNA expression was measured in tumor tissues of 103 patients, using real-time quantitative PCR. Results: The T91A polymorphism lacked any prognostic information in our patient cohort. Interestingly though, STK15 mRNA expression was increased in invasive and high-grade tumors (p-values of 0.009 and 0.0001, respectively). Additionally, patients with superficial UCC (n=82) who had a tumor recurrence in the first year after surgery displayed elevated STK15 mRNA expression levels (p=0.009). Kaplan-Meier survival analysis revealed an increased risk of tumor progression for patients with Ta tumors (n=62) and high STK15 expression (log-rank p=0.04). Furthermore, a decreased overall (log-rank p=0.006) and UCC-specific survival (log-rank p=0.001) were shown for patients with elevated STK15 mRNA levels. Conclusion: Patients with UCC and elevated levels of STK15 mRNA generally showed a more adverse disease course than patients with low levels. This may help in identifying patients in need of more aggressive treatment.