PURPOSE: We examined the expression of 2 bladder tumor markers, hyaluronic acid (HA) and hyaluronidase (HAase), in bladder tissues and correlated tissue staining with the inferences of the HA-HAase urine test, which detects bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A biotinylated HA binding protein and an antiHYAL1 antibody were used to localize HA and HYAL1 type HAase, respectively, in 83 bladder tissues. Immunoblot analysis was performed using an antiHYAL1 antibody to detect HYAL1. RESULTS: A total of 12 normal bladder tissues showed no (66%) to 1+ (34%) HA staining and 0 (83%) to 1+ (17%) HYAL1 staining. The staining intensity of HA and HYAL1 increased in 71 bladder tumor specimens on chi-square analysis (p
