Performance of urinary survivin as a non-invasive molecular marker of bladdercarcinoma in a schistosomiasis endemic area.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value of urinary survivin and that of urine cytology in the diagnosis of bladder carcinoma in a schistosoma endemic area.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

This is a 12-month prospective study of patients with features of bladder carcinoma as study group and patients with other urologic conditions and healthy volunteers as control group.

PARTICIPANTS

Patients with features of bladder carcinoma formed the study group, while patients with other urological conditions and healthy volunteers formed the control group.

RESULTS

There were 52 patients in study group and 36 patients in control group. The mean ages of patients in the study and control groups were 47.17 ± 17.00 and 44.19 ± 18.89 years respectively. There were 48 males and 4 females in the study group, giving a male: female ratio of 12:1. Thirty-one (60 %) of the patients were farmers and 44 patients (85%) had history suggestive of schistosomiasis at childhood. The sensitivity of urine cytology and survivin in the study were 29.1% and 100.0% respectively. The specificity of urine cytology and survivin were 100.0% and 100.0% respectively (p= 0.05). The marker was associated with false positive (FP) results in patients with prostate cancer.

CONCLUSION

Urinary survivin is highly sensitive, specific and predictive of bladder carcinoma in our environment. The marker is associated with false positive results in patients with prostate cancer.

FUNDING: By authors.