Apoptotic cell death represents an important mechanism for the precise regulation of cell numbers, and a defence mechanism against tumoral cell. bcl-2 and bax genes are known to be involved in the control of apoptotic pathways; in particular, the ratio between bcl-2 and bax represents a cell rheostat that is able to predict a cell's response toward life or death to an apoptotic stimulus. In the present study we investigated the role of bcl-2 and bax gene expression in a panel of 37 low-grade tumours of the urinary bladder, and correlated the expression of these genes to the prognosis of patients in a follow-up of more than one year. We found that levels of bax expression higher than bcl-2 in bladder tumours well correlates to a better outcome for patients. Early relapses are much more frequently observed in those patients whose tumours express more bcl-2 than bax mRNA. We conclude that the bcl-2/bax expression ratio may be considered as a marker for disease progression in low grade bladder tumours, independently of clinical staging and histological grading.
Gazzaniga, P., Gradilone, A., Vercillo, R., Gandini, O., Silvestri, I., Napolitano, M., et al. (1996). Bcl-2/bax mRNA expression ratio as prognostic factor in low-grade urinary bladder cancer. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER, 69(2), 100-104 [10.1002/(SICI)1097-0215(19960422)69:2<100::AID-IJC5>3.0.CO;2-4].
Bcl-2/bax mRNA expression ratio as prognostic factor in low-grade urinary bladder cancer
ALBONICI BOVE, LOREDANA;
1996-04-22
Abstract
Apoptotic cell death represents an important mechanism for the precise regulation of cell numbers, and a defence mechanism against tumoral cell. bcl-2 and bax genes are known to be involved in the control of apoptotic pathways; in particular, the ratio between bcl-2 and bax represents a cell rheostat that is able to predict a cell's response toward life or death to an apoptotic stimulus. In the present study we investigated the role of bcl-2 and bax gene expression in a panel of 37 low-grade tumours of the urinary bladder, and correlated the expression of these genes to the prognosis of patients in a follow-up of more than one year. We found that levels of bax expression higher than bcl-2 in bladder tumours well correlates to a better outcome for patients. Early relapses are much more frequently observed in those patients whose tumours express more bcl-2 than bax mRNA. We conclude that the bcl-2/bax expression ratio may be considered as a marker for disease progression in low grade bladder tumours, independently of clinical staging and histological grading.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
