Expression and prognostic significance of a new tumor metastasis suppressor gene LASS2 in human bladder carcinoma

The LASS2 gene has been identified as a new tumor metastasis suppressor gene and has been seen to correlate with the degree of invasion and recurrence in carcinomas of prostate, breast, liver, ovarian, and pancreas. However, expression and prognostic significance of LASS2 in human bladder carcinoma are largely unknown. In this study, the protein expression of LASS2 in 80 patients with different stages was detected by immunohistochemical staining. The prognostic value of LASS2 in bladder cancers can also be assessed by a long-term follow-up investigation. The mRNA expression level of the LASS2 gene was examined using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR) in human bladder carcinoma and paired non-tumor bladder tissues, which were obtained from 30 patients who underwent total cystectomy. We found that patients with LASS2-negative bladder cancer were linked to poor clinical prognosis. The expression of LASS2 mRNA was significantly correlated with clinical stage (P<0.001), depth of tumor invasion (P<0.001), and recurrence (P<0.001). Thus, LASS2 expression may be correlated with the development and progression of human bladder carcinoma and may be a prognostic indicator for this carcinoma.