[Dependence of keratin No. 17 distribution on the degree of malignancy of bladder tumors].

Keratin No 17 expression (Mab E3) correlated with the stage and degree of malignancy of transitional-cell bladder carcinoma (TCC). Antibodies to keratin No 17 stained only the basal layer of the tumour growth in the TCC I while in TCC II-III positively stained cells were found everywhere in the tumour and staining was diffuse. Immunostaining for the simple keratins No 7, 8, 18, 19 in TCC I-III was diffuse. Distribution of keratin No 17 as well as that of the simple keratins was not regular in the metaplastic and anaplastic forms of TCC. Thus, the expression of keratin No 17 and simple keratins may serve an objective criterion of the tumour progression stage.