• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.47-53
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• 2009

Urinary bladder cancer is diagnosed through urine cytology and cytoscopy with biopsy. An atypical urothelial cast is often found by voided urine cytology in a papillary urothelial cell carcinoma. The objective of this study is to demonstrate the significance of the evaluation of urinary nuclear matrix protein (NMP22) level and Sure Path Liquid-based cytology (SP-LBC) as compared to the examination of atypical urothelial cast in voided urine sediment for monitoring bladder cancer. From October 2007 to January 2008, we observed 3240 patients who visited the emergency laboratory of urology of Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan Hospital. Both NMP22 measurement and SP-LBC were performed in 31 patients who were positive in an atypical urothelial cast test. In particular, 26 men and 5 women were found to be atypical urothelial cast-positive persons. The average age for both men and women is 61.8. NMP22 test is positive in 23 of 31 cases (74.2%) from patients with atypical urothelial cast, while the test is negative in 8 of 31 cases (25.8%). The percentages of negativity, atypicality, suspicious malignancy, and malignancy in SP-LBC are 25.8% (8/31), 58.1% (18/31), 9.7% (3/31), and 6.5% (2/31), respectively. The relation of NMP22 positivity with the malignant degree in LBC is significant (P<0.01). Two malignant patients resulting from SP-LBC show the same results in histological examination. Overall, the study suggests the usefulness of NMP22 measurement and LBC as well as the examination of atypical urothelial cast for the diagnosis of early bladder cancer.