@Article{,
AUTHOR = {Les Bowles, Hanna Bialkowska-Hobrzanska, Bernard Bukala, Linda Nott, Hassan Razvi},
TITLE = {A prospective evaluation of the diagnostic and potential prognostic utility of urinary human telomerase reverse transcriptase mRNA in patients with bladder cancer},
JOURNAL = {Canadian Journal of Urology},
VOLUME = {11},
YEAR = {2004},
NUMBER = {6},
PAGES = {2438--2444},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/CJU/v11n6/62565},
ISSN = {1488-5581},
ABSTRACT = {Human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) mRNA
expression has been considered a surrogate marker for
telomerase activity based on its parallel detection in
urological malignancies, including transitional cell
carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder. The objective of this
study was to prospectively evaluate the diagnostic
performance of urine hTERT mRNA marker and urine
cytology in the detection of bladder cancer.<br/>
The multiplex hTERT/GAPDH (glyceraldehyde-3-
phosphate dehydrogenase) reverse transcription
polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was employed
to assess hTERT mRNA expression in urine sediments
from 43 patients with clinically apparent TCC undergoing
transurethral resection. Tumor grade and pathological
stage were determined. The results of urine cytology were
compared with urine hTERT mRNA expression. The
control group consisted of 46 age-matched healthy
volunteers without known urinary tract disease.<br/>
The sensitivity of hTERT mRNA expression marker in
the detection of bladder cancer was significantly better
than urine cytology (95% versus 65%, p<0.001). The
hTERT mRNA was detected with high sensitivity in both
low and high grade tumors, and in superficial and invasive
phenotypes. No correlation was seen between hTERT
mRNA and the histopathological grade and stage. The
specificity of urinary hTERT mRNA marker was 93.5%.
The detection of hTERT mRNA expression in urine was
a highly sensitive marker for the diagnosis of TCC of the
bladder in this study. This urine-based marker shows
promise as a non-invasive adjunct to cystoscopy in
patients undergoing bladder tumor surveillance.},
DOI = {}
}