UNASSIGNED: To the best of our knowledge, Androgen receptor (AR) and cluster of differentiation 24 (CD24) expression in bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC) has not yet been reported in our population. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of both markers in UCB using immunohistochemistry.
UNASSIGNED: Data from 60 patients with UCB were obtained between 2009 and 2018. The samples were divided into four groups based on their smoking history. Group 1 included non-smokers, group 2 smoked <20 cigarettes/day for 30 years, group 3 smoked for 31-40 years, and group 4 smoked for > 40 years. Each group then divided into Non muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and muscle invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) subgroups. The smear was stained with hematoxylin and eosin (HE) - immunohistochemistry of CD24 and RA, followed by histoscore assessment.
UNASSIGNED: The male to female smoking rates was 1.8. Based on gender, in the NMIBC group there were 85.7% men and 14.3% were women while in MIBC 74.4% men and 25.6% women. The mean age of the NMIBC and MIBC groups was 56.3 years and 54.5 years, respectively. There was no significant relationship between smoking status in group 2 (OR 0.31, CI 95% CI, p=0,39), group 3 (OR 013, CI 95% CI, p=0,05), and group 4 (OR 0.23, CI 95% CI, p=0215) to the UCB invasiveness. A significant relationship was observed between cytoplasmic AR expression and UCB invasiveness (OR 0.14[0,04; 0.47], CI 95%, p=0.001). There was no significant relationship between RA in the nucleus and UCB invasion (OR 1.09[0,18; 6.48] CI 95%, p=1000). No significant relationship was observed between CD24 expression and UCB invasiveness (OR 0.81[0,27-2,45] CI 95%, p=0712).
UNASSIGNED: Cytoplasmic AR expression is associated with UCB invasiveness. Smoking history and CD24 expression were not associated with UCB invasion.

OBJECTIVE: Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a well-known oncogenic virus associated with anogenital carcinomas. Despite the anatomical proximity of the bladder and the anogenital region, the relationship between HPV and urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) is still a controversial issue. This study aimed to test the urethral swabs and first-void urine samples of patients with UCB for HPV-Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay and to compare the results with a control group.
METHODS: Sixty-nine patients who were diagnosed with UCB between January and December 2018 were included in this case-control study. Sixty-nine patients who visited the urology outpatient clinic for non-oncological reasons within the study period were designated as the control group. Urethral swab and first-void morning urine samples were collected from each patient. HPV-DNA presence was investigated using a PCR kit that can detect a total of 22 HPV genotypes, of which 18 are high-risk and 3 are low-risk genotypes.
RESULTS: The mean age of the patients included in the study was 63.2 ± 12.6 years and the male to female ratio was 5.3. HPV-DNA was detected in 28.9% (20/69) of the patients in the case group and in 8.7% (6/69) of the patients in the control group. HPV-DNA positivity was significantly higher in the case group (OR 4.24; 95% CI 1.63-12.34). No statistically significant relationship was found between HPV-DNA positivity and tumor grade (p = 0.36).
CONCLUSIONS: A statistically significant relationship exists between HPV infection and UCB, regardless of the tumor grade.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the frequency of incidental prostate cancer (PC) at radical cystoprostatectomy (RC) for urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and its association with survival outcomes in an international cohort.
METHODS: In this retrospective study, we included 2114 who underwent RC and lymphadenectomy for UCB between 1976 and 2012 male patients from seven institutions. Univariable and multivariable Cox regression models addressed the association of incidental PC with cancer-specific mortality and overall mortality after RC.
RESULTS: Overall, incidental PC was found in 513 (24.3%) patients with the lowest frequency in a Japanese center (23/164, 11.2%) and the highest frequency in a North American center (122/325, 37.5%), respectively (p < 0.001). Within a median follow up of 27 months (IQR: 50 months), 20 patients (3.9%) were diagnosed with biochemical recurrence (BCR) and none of the patients died of PC. PC pathological tumor stage was more advanced in patients experiencing BCR (p < 0.001). In multivariable Cox regression analyses adjusted for standard clinicopathologic features, incidental PC was not associated with cancer-specific (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 0.91-1.35, p = 0.30) or overall mortality (HR: 1.06, 95% CI: 0.83-1.35, p = 0.65).
CONCLUSIONS: Incidental PC at RC for UCB is a frequent event. However, the majority of PC cases are well-differentiated and organ-confined. Presence of incidental PC shows significant geographic differences. The risk of BCR after incidental PC is low and incidental PC is not associated with survival in UCB patients treated with RC.

The aim of the present study was to establish a rapid profiling method using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA) and characterize copy number variations (CNV) in circulating, cell-free DNA (cfDNA) in 85 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) patients treated with radical cystectomy (RC). MLPA was tested for the use of cfDNA extracted from serum and plasma by various commercial extraction kits. Eighteen probes served as reference to control denaturation, ligation and amplification efficiency. MLPA was exclusively suitable for cfDNA extracted from serum. Serum from 72 patients (84.7%) could be analyzed. Thirty-five patients (48.6%) had presence of CNV in cfDNA. The median CNV count in patients with presence of CNV was 2. Predominantly, CNV were located in the genes CDH1, ZFHX3, RIPK2 and PTEN in 15 patients (20.8%), 12 patients (16.7%), 9 patients (12.5%) and 7 patients (9.7%), respectively. CNV in TSG1, RAD21, KIAA0196, ANXA7 and TMPRSS2 were associated with presence of variant UCB histology (p = 0.029, 0.029, 0.029, 0.029, 0.043, respectively). Furthermore, CNV in miR-15a, CDH1 and ZFHX3 were associated with presence of incidental prostate cancer (p = 0.023, 0.003, 0.025, respectively). Patients with CNV in KLF5, ZFHX3 and CDH1 had reduced cancer-specific survival, compared to patients without CNV in these genes (pairwise p = 0.028, 0.026, 0.044, respectively). MLPA represents an efficient method for the detection of CNV among numerous genes on various chromosomal regions. CNV in specific genes seem to be associated with aggressive UCB biologic features and presence of incidental prostate cancer, and may have a negative impact on cancer-specific survival.