[Expression of c-H-ras, c-erb B1 and c-erb B2 gene products in human bladder cancer].

To investigate the expression of c-H-ras (p21), c-erb B1 (EGFR) and c-erb B2 (p185) gene products in human bladder cancer, immunohistochemical studies using monoclonal antibodies to these proteins were performed on formaline fixed (within 15 hours)-paraffin sections of tumor tissues from 20 patients with bladder cancer, normal appearing adjacent bladder (non-tumor) tissues from 11 of the 20 patients, and normal bladder tissues from 3 patients who died of non-cancerous diseases as control. p21 Positive staining was demonstrated in the superficial cells of urothelium in 1 of 3 controls, also in 5 of 20 tumor tissues compact cells without vacuole in cells which have an increased nuclear/cytoplasmic ratio. Seven of 11 non-tumor tissues indicated positive staining either in superficial layer only or in whole layers of urothelium, and 1 of the latter group reacted with the monoclonal antibody to human bladder cancer produced in our laboratory. EGFR was found in 5 of 20 tumor tissues and 7 of 11 non-tumor tissues, but not in controls. Most EGFR positive tissues also indicated p21 positivity except in 1 of the tumor tissues. p185 Positive staining was demonstrated in 9 of 20 tumor tissues and 5 of 11 non-tumor tissues, but not in the controls. Furthermore, 5 of 6 tumor tissues from the patients with lymph node metastasis indicated p185 positivity. These results suggest that both p21 and EGFR may have a role in transformation and that p185 has a role in the development of metastasis in some urothelial malignancies.