Background: The present study has been performed to evaluate the expression of MK-1 in schistosomiasis-associated squamous cell carcinoma of the urinary bladder and to correlate this new marker with the conventional histopathological parameters.
Patients and methods: Paraffin sections of 5-microm thickness from 81 cases were prepared for hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemical analysis of MK-1 expression was carried out.
Results: Forty-six cases (56.8%) were positive for MK-1 protein expression. Significant correlations between MK-1 expression and tumor grade (p=0.004), schistosoma (p=0.031), DNA ploidy (p=0.001), and tumor recurrence (p<0.001) were observed. MK-1, sex, tumor grade, stage, schistosoma, DNA ploidy, and recurrence were evaluated in relation to outcome. Univariate and multivariate analysis of survival were performed. The overall 5-year survival was 51.85%. In univariate analysis, MK-1 expression, tumor grade, DNA ploidy, and recurrence had a significant impact on the survival of these patients. In a Cox proportional hazards model, recurrence maintained its significant impact on survival.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that MK-1 is a prognostic marker for recurrence: 34 (87.2%) of 39 recurrent cases were positive for MK-1 expression. However, only recurrence was an independent prognostic factor in patients with schistosomiasis- associated squamous cell carcinoma of the bladder.