To investigate whether the immunohistochemical expression of p53, p63 and her2/neu is correlated with the prognosis of tumour recurrence and progression in patients with non-muscle invasive (NMI) bladder cancer.

In all, 88 patients diagnosed with NMI transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder in a Urology Department from May 2009 to April 2014 were included in the study. Paraffin-embedded specimens were obtained by transurethral resection of the bladder tumours. Sections on haematoxylin and eosin-stained slides were examined histologically and tumour grade was classified according to the World Health Organisation system (2004) Mostofi classification. The sections were evaluated using p63, p53 and her2/neu immunohistochemical staining before and after immunotherapy with bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG), and patients were followed up for 36�months in the Urology Department.

For tumour grade there was a significant relationship with the overexpression of p53 (P�=�0.010), her2 (P�=�0.025) and negativity of p63 (P�=�0.025). There was no significant relationship between p53 or her2/neu overexpression and tumour stage. However, there was a significant correlation (P�=�0.005) between p63 negativity and tumour stage. There was a significant relationship between p53 (P�=�0.01), her2/neu (P�=�0.025) overexpression and p63 negativity (P�=�0.005) and tumour recurrence and progression.

Patients with transitional cell carcinoma who are selected for BCG treatment should preferably be positively immunoreactive for p63, but negative for both p53 and her2/neu. These patients were less susceptible to recurrence and/or progression after BCG adjuvant therapy. Further studies are needed to investigate the relationship between these three markers and treatment with anti-her2/neu therapies.