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Comparisons of voided urine cytology, nuclear matrix protein-22 and bladder tumor associated antigen tests for bladder cancer of geriatric male patients in Taiwan, China.

Tsui KH, Chen SM, Wang TM, Juang HH, Chen CL, Sun GH, Chang PL

Department of Nursing, Chang Gung Institute of Technology, Kwei Shan, Taoyuan 333, Taiwan, China.

AIM: To compare the results of bladder tumor associated antigen (BTA TRAK), nuclear matrix protein 22 (NMP 22) and voided urine cytology (VUC) in detecting bladder cancer. METHODS: A total of 135 elderly male and 50 healthy volunteers enrolled in this study were classified into three groups: (i) 93 patients with bladder cancer; (ii) 42 patients with urinary benign conditions; and (iii) 50 healthy volunteers. BTA TRAK and NMP 22 kits were used to detect bladder cancer. Voided urine cytology was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the screening tests. RESULTS: The sensitivity and specificity of cytology, BTA TRAK and NMP 22 were 24% and 97%, 51% and 73%, 78% and 73%, respectively. The level of NMP 22 increased with tumor grading. The BTA TRAK kit has the lowest sensitivity among the screening tests. The NMP 22 with the best sensitivity can be an adjunct to cytology for evaluating bladder cancer. CONCLUSION: The NMP 22 test has a better correlation with the grading of the bladder cancer than BTA TRAK. As cytology units are typically not available in hospitals or in outpatient clinics, NMP 22 might be a promising tool for screening bladder cancer.

Published 22 August 2007 in Asian J Androl, 9(5): 711-5.
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