Expression analysis of apoptosis-related genes in bladder cancer patients

Background Bladder cancer (BC) is a frequent cancer with high morbidity and mortality. Method We assessed expression of NMP22, BAG3, BCL2 and BAX in BC samples, adjacent non-neoplastic tissues (ANNTs), urinary cell pellets (UCP) of the same patients and non-malignant conditions (NM). Results NMP22 was up-regulated in tumoral tissues compared with ANNTs and in UCP of BC patients compared with UCP of NM. BCL2 and BAX were down-regulated in BC tissues compared with ANNTs. BAG3 and BAX were down-regulated in UCP of BC compared with NM. The combination of all four genes had 100% sensitivity and specificity for detection of BC in urine. Conclusion Expression analysis of these genes in tumor or urine is a tool for detection of BC.