BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the expression of EGFR/HER-2 and investigate their association with patients’ clinical features in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC).

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunohistochemistry was utilized in our study to explore the expression of EGFR/HER-2 of 56 human bladder cancer samples and 10 normal bladder samples.

RESULTS: EGFR and HER-2 expressions were both significantly higher in bladder transitional cell carcinoma (BTCC) than that in non-cancer bladder samples; the EGFR positivity rate was 55.4% among BTCC samples and 37.5% for HER-2a. A statistically significant correlation was also present between the increasing EGFR or HER-2 expression levels and the clinical stages, pathologic grades, and tumor recurrence. The expression level of EGFR increased along with higher clinical stages and pathologic grades of BTCC, and the obviously increased expression of HER-2 was statistically associated with clinical stages and tumor recurrence. In addition, the expression level of HER-2 increased along with the higher clinical stage of BTCC. EGFR expression and HER-2 levels were positively associated in BTCC samples.

CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that high EGFR and HER-2 expressions are dramatically increased in the BTCC tissues and are closely related to the clinical stages, pathologic grades, and tumor recurrence. Therefore, the evaluation of EGFR and HER-2 expression in BTCC may contribute to identifying patients who are at increased risk of disease progression and recurrence.

Keywords: Genes, erbB-1, Receptor, erbB-2