Carcinogenesis results from irreversible alterations of the physiological balance between protooncogene and tumor suppressor genes. In this study simultaneous investigation of alterations of the c-myc oncogene and the p53 tumor suppressor gene during development and progression of bladder cancer was performed. 154 paraffin-embedded urothelial specimens were examined. Normal urothelium (n=16) yielded no alterations. Low-grade (G1) papillary tumors (n=10) showed no p53 accumulation, but c-myc overexpression in 6 cases. In 3/12 dysplasia specimens p53 accumulation was detected, while c-myc overexpression was observed in only one case. In carcinoma in situ, c-myc overexpression (7/39) was also less frequent than p53 accumulation (12/39). The incidence of p53 accumulation was slightly higher in muscle-invasive tumors (T2-3) (n=14) than in T1 (n=24) bladder cancer. In contrast, the number of tumors with c-myc overexpression increased up to 70% in muscle-invasive tumors. A significant correlation between p53 accumulation and tumor progression was observed (p<0.0001). The simultaneous analysis of both genes yielded specific patterns for the different tumor stages. Extension of this study could provide the base for a new classification of bladder cancer based upon the molecular biology of this tumor entity.

Der Verlauf der Serumkonzentration der prostataspezifischen sauren Phosphatase (PAP) stellt einen wichtigen Parameter zur Beurteilung der Prognose sowie zur Festlegung der weiteren Therapie bei Patienten mit Prostatakarzinom (CaP) dar. Nachteil des enzymimmunologischen Nachweises ist vor allem der hohe Aktivitätsverlust der PAP im Immunkomplex. Durch Zugabe von 1-Butanol zum Testpuffer konnte die Aktivität der PAP um bis zu 60% gesteigert werden [1]. Für den Nachweis im Immunkomplex ergab sich daraus eine Wiederfindungsrate von 100% der eingesetzten PAP.