Bladder transitional cell carcinoma: correlation of contrast enhancement on computed tomography with histological grade and tumour angiogenesis

AIM: To investigate the correlation between the degree of contrast enhancement of bladder cancer in the early enhanced phase of helical computed tomography (CT) and microvessel density (MVD), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and histological grade. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-five patients with transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder were examined by incremental unenhanced CT and helical CT at 40-45 s after initiation of intravenous administration of contrast medium before surgery. The CT density in Hounsfield units of bladder carcinomas were measured in the middle of the maximum diameter section of the cancer lesions on unenhanced and enhanced CT. The degree of contrast enhancement of the tumour was determined as the absolute increase in Hounsfield units. Histological grade, VEGF and MVD were analysed for each cancer. The Pearson and Spearman correlation tests were used to determine the strength of the relationships between CT enhancement and histological grade, VEGF expression and MVD. RESULTS: Different degrees of enhancement were observed in 91 cancers during the early enhanced phase of helical CT. Mean MVDs and mean CT enhancing values of different histological grade groups were statistically different (p < 0.001). A positive correlation was found in the CT-enhancing value of bladder cancer and MVD (Pearson correlation test; r = 0.938, p < 0.001) and histotogical grade (Spearman rank correlation; r = 0.734, p < 0.001). VEGF of bladder cancer did not correlate with the change in CT attenuation (Spearman rank correlation; r = 0.087, p = 0.410) and MVD (Spearman rank correlation, r = 0.103, p = 0.330). CONCLUSION: In bladder cancer, the degree of contrast enhancement during the early enhanced helical CT is correlated with the MVD and histological grade of tumour. It is possible that MVD is the histopathological basis of early contrast enhancement of bladder cancer. (C) 2005 The Royal College of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.