Slingshot homolog-1 expression is a poor prognostic factor of pT1 bladder urothelial carcinoma after transurethral resection

Objective Slingshot homolog-1 (SSH-1) shows an important role in the occurrence and development in various tumors. While, the expression and prognostic implications of SSH-1 in bladder urothelial carcinoma (UC) remain unclear and thus were addressed in this study. Methods Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed on tissue microarrays composed of 624 bladder UC specimens after transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TUR-BT) to detect SSH-1 expression. The clinic-pathological features were compared between SSH-1( +) and SSH-1(−) subgroups. The Kaplan–Meier curve with log-rank test and univariate/multivariate Cox regression model with stepwise backward elimination methods were performed for survival analyses. Results In this study, 359 (57.53%) specimens were detected with SSH-1 expression. SSH-1 positivity was significantly associated with higher pathological grade ( p = 0.020), lymphovascular invasion ( p = 0.006), tumor recurrence ( p < 0.001) and progression ( p < 0.001) in bladder UC. Besides, SSH-1 positivity predicted a shorter overall survival (OS, p = 0.024), recurrence-free survival (RFS, p < 0.001), progression-free survival (PFS, p = 0.002) and cancer-specific survival (CSS, p = 0.047). Multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis showed that tumor size ( p = 0.007), lymphovascular invasion ( p = 0.003), recurrence ( p < 0.001), progression ( p < 0.001) and SSH-1 expression ( p = 0.015) were predictors of poor prognosis in bladder UC patients. Conclusions SSH-1 expression was associated with undesirable clinic-pathological characteristics and poor post-operative prognosis in bladder UC patients. SSH-1 might play an important role in bladder UC and serve as a promising predictor of oncological outcomes in patients with bladder UC.