Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) expression was described as marker of the proliferative activity in urothelial tumors. We compared the PCNA immunostaining index with the outcome of patients with bladder cancer. We revised 90 patients, with age varying from 29 to 93 years (mean 71 yrs), being 77.8% men and 22.2% women; mean follow-up of 55 months (2-231 months). Fifty per cent of tumors were grade I; 32.2% grade II and 17.8% grade III. Primary tumor stage was: invasive (> >pT1=31.1% and superficial (pTA-1=68.9%). Eighty-seven tumors (96.6%) expressed PCNA (median 72.5%, mean 60.1%). The mean PCNA index was not different (p = 0.39) in superficial or invasive tumors. The comparison of immunostaining mean values between G1/G2 (p = 0.087), /G1/G3 (p = 0.11) and G2//g3 (p = 0.66) was not statistically significant, as well among recurring and non-recurring tumors (p = 0.84) but PCNA expression correlated with survival rate (p = 0.003) and metastases free intervals (p = 0.01) but not with recurrent free intervals (p = 0.86). In conclusion, PCNA over expression correlated with survival and metastasis free intervals, but was not significant to differentiate invasive stages, agressive grades and recurring tumors.
PCNA; Bladder; Transitional cell; Carcinoma
