The relationship of ABH(O) blood group antigen expression in intraepithelial dysplastic lesions to clinicopathologic properties of associated transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder

Abstract

Paraffin-embedded, giant-step sections of 13 bladders with transitional cell carcinomas were stained with monoclonal anti-A or anti-B antibodies to investigate whether intraepithelial dysplastic lesions are related to obvious tumors. Normal and/or hyperplastic lesions were retained in only eight bladders; severe dysplasia and/or carcinoma in situ were found in all bladders except two. AB-antigen expression was retained in intraepithelial lesions of bladders with invasive carcinoma. Most intraepithelial lesions were AB-antigen negative in bladders with frequently recurrent tumors. In bladders with initially multiple tumors, AB-antigen expression was negative in almost one half of the intraepithelial lesions. Therefore, it appears likely that most multiple or recurrent bladder carcinomas arise from dysplastic cells in intraepithelial lesions which have acquired malignant potential; initially invasive tumors quickly develop from a limited lesion acquiring a high malignant potential without changes of cell phenotype in most intraepithelial lesions.

Loss of blood group A antigen expression in bladder cancer caused by allelic loss and/or methylation of the ABO gene

“…A reduction in blood-group A antigen (GalNAca1-3[Fuca1-2]Galb1-3GlcNAc-R) expression was reported in transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder and showed significant correlation with an invasive phenotype. [8][9][10][11] Orntoft and Wolf 12 examined the correlation between blood-group antigen expression and the activity of glycosyltransferases in TCC of the bladder and reported that the activity of A glycosyl transferase was severely reduced in tumors showing loss of A antigen expression. This phenomenon drew our attention, due to the fact that the determinant of the ABO blood-group antigen is synthesized by the action of the ABO gene encoding ABO glycosyltransferase assigned to chromosome 9q34.1, where loss of heterozygosity (LOH) was frequently reported in bladder cancer.…”

ABO blood type and the risk of cancer – Findings from the Shanghai Cohort Study

“…Studies have found that large proportion of transitional epithelia of bladder carcinoma had either reduced expression of blood type antigen A or loss of A allele [ 31 , 32 ]. A reduction in the expression of antigen A was correlated with the invasiveness of the malignancies [ 33 ]. These pathological findings suggest that the determinants of ABO blood type antigens may play a critical role in the development of urinary bladder cancer.…”

Genetic and Molecular Markers of Urothelial Premalignancy and Malignancy

“…For example, phenotypic biochemical markers, such as G-actin and M344 antigen, occur as early events in uroepithelial transformation (44,102,103). Blood group antigen alterations have been identified even in dysplasias of the urothelium (104,105). Similarly, unscheduled expression of cytokeratin 20 has been reported as a marker of urothelial dysplasia (106).…”