A study published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences identified a tumor cell marker that may discern the progression of bladder cancer.

In this study, organoids were generated from bladder cancer samples and then analyzed. The investigators then assessed the expression of immune modulatory antigens and tumor stem cell markers CD24 and CD44.

According to the results, programmed death-ligand 1 was detected on some organoids, while all organoids growing beyond passage 8 expressed both CD24 and CD44 at elevated levels in both early and late bladder cancer cultures. The data suggest that the expression of CD24 in organoids is a possible indicator of prolonged spread of bladder cancer cells.

Reference: Geng R, Harland N, Montes-Mojarro IA, et al. CD24: a marker for an extended expansion potential of urothelial cancer cell organoids in vitro? Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(10):5453. doi:10.3390/ijms23105453

Keywords: CD24, CD44, bladder cancer organoids, bladder cancer stem-cell marker, immune checkpoint antigens

Link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9141653/