cytokeratin 20 in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder and its relation with prognostic factors

background and aims: immunohistochemical tests are one of the most important tests, which are under study to determine the prognosis of the cancers such as transitional cell carcinoma. by the time, flexible cystoscopy and urine cytology are the routine tests for following up the patients with transitional cell carcinoma, which are both operator dependent. on the other hand, cystoscopy is an invasive method, and urine cytology is a method with low sensitivity. the aim of this study was to determine ck20 in patients with transitional cell carcinoma of bladder and its relation with prognostic factors, which are the stage and the grade of the tumor. materials and methods: our study was done in mostafa khomeini hospital from 2007 to 2010 on the 2001 to 2009 stored information files, included 53 patients diagnosed as transitional cell carcinoma of bladder (tcc) of different stages and grades that were underwent total cystectomy. immunohistochemical staining was performed on tissue sections with specific ck20 antibody. then the samples were studied by light microscope so positive and negative cases were identified. results: according to statistical analysis there were significant reverse relationship between ck20 and stage, and significant reverse relationship between ck20 and grade (p= 0.000). conclusion: immunohistochemical study of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of bladder in order to identify ck20 can be a useful method to determine the prognosis of these patients.