HMOX1 is an Important Prognostic Indicator of Nonmuscle Invasive Bladder Cancer Recurrence and Progression

Purpose: HMOX1, which is highly expressed in various solid tumors, has an important role in rapid tumor growth. We investigated the relationship between HMOX1 expression and clinicopathological parameters in patients with NMIBC. Materials and Methods: We analyzed 211 primary NMIBC tissue specimens by real-time PCR and compared the results with clinicopathological parameters. Kaplan-Meier survival curves and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to assess the prognostic value of HMOX1 in NMIBC cases. Results: HMOX1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in patients with higher grade and multiple tumors than in those with lower grade and single tumors (each p < 0.05, respectively). Kaplan-Meier estimates showed HMOX1 expression was significantly associated with recurrence and progression (log rank test p = 0.010 and <0.001, respectively). A multivariate Cox regression model revealed that HMOX1 mRNA expression was an independent predictor of recurrence (HR 1.832, p = 0.017) and progression (HR 5.241, p = 0.001) in patients with NMIBC. Conclusions: Analysis of HMOX1 expression in 211 NMIBC tissue specimens revealed its potential usefulness as a marker to predict the NMIBC prognosis.