Expression of miR-141, TAMs, and CD147 in Bladder Cancer Cells: Implications for Tumor Grade and Prognosis

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the significance of miR-141 expression, tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and CD147 expression in bladder cancer (BCa) cells, and their relationship with tumor grade. A total of 80 BCa patients were selected, and they were categorized into two groups: Group G1 (56 cases) with poorly differentiated tumors, and Group G2 (24 cases) with moderately to well-differentiated tumors according to the WHO classification criteria for urothelial carcinoma. We analyzed the differences in miR-141, TAMs, and CD147 expression levels among different tumor grades. The miR-141 level in BCa tissues of patients in Group G2 showed a significant decrease (1.88±0.4) compared to Group G1 (P <0.05). As the tumor grade increased, TAMs levels in tumor tissues also increased (P <0.05). Notably, 66.7% of CD147-positive patients in Group G2 exhibited a clear increase compared to Group G1 (P <0.05). Importantly, significant correlations were observed between miR-141, TAMs, CD147 levels, and tumor grade (P <0.05). These findings suggest that as BCa grades increase, miR-141 levels decrease while TAMs and CD147 levels increase. The levels of miR-141, TAMs, and CD147 in BCa tissue cells can serve as indicators for evaluating the prognosis of BCa patients.