Abstract:
Objective: To compare the diagnostic performance of urine cytology (UC), survivin mRNA expression, and the NMP22 BladderChek® (NMP22BC) test for the detection, grading and staging of transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) of the bladder. Materials and Methods: Voided urine samples collected from 25 healthy controls and 80 patients diagnosed with TCC of the bladder were subjected to UC, the NMP22BC test and reverse-transcription real-time PCR for survivin mRNA expression. Results: Survivin mRNA expression showed the highest sensitivity (87.5%) followed by the NMP22BC test (61.3%) while UC exhibited the lowest sensitivity (40%). All three urine markers had a similar specificity of 96% (95% CI 80.5-99.3%). Survivin mRNA expression was the only urine marker that showed a significant difference in relation to tumour histological grade (χ 2 8.5, p = 0.015). None of the three urine markers was significantly related to tumour pathological stages. Conclusion: The diagnostic sensitivity of urinary survivin mRNA expression was superior to that of UC and the NMP22BC test and correlates with tumour pathological grade but not stage.