Combined use of immunohistochemical markers of basal and luminal subtypes in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder: Association with clinicopathological features and outcomes

OBJECTIVES: Whole genome expression profiles allow the stratification of bladder urothelial carcinoma into basal and luminal subtypes which differ in histological patterns and clinical behavior. Morpho-molecular studies have resulted in the discovery of immunohistochemical markers that might enable discrimination between these two major phenotypes of urothelial carcinoma. METHODS: We used two combinations of immunohistochemical markers, i.e., cytokeratin (CK) 5 with CK20 and CK5 with GATA3, to distinguish subtypes, and investigated their association with clinicopathological features, presence of histological variants, and [...]