Expression of p27(Kip1) in bladder cancers: immunohistochemical study and prognostic value in a series of 95 cases.

Prognostic value of p27(Kip1) immunohistochemical expression was evaluated in a series of 95 bladder carcinomas. Low p27(Kip1) expression was correlated with higher tumor grade (P=0.01) and stage (P=0.009), associated with poor overall survival (P=0.01) and, for superficial cancers, with disease-free survival (P=0.05). Thirty-five cases exhibited a heterogeneous expression related in some instances to tumoral architecture. Seventeen cases showed a cytoplasmic reactivity related to low nuclear expression (P=0.057). Loss of p27(Kip1) expression is a pejorative event in bladder tumors and inhibition of p27(Kip1) degradation could offer new therapeutic ways.