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An atomic bomb (A‑bomb) was dropped on Hiroshima on 6th August 1945. Although numerous studies have investigated cancer incidence and mortality among A‑bomb survivors, only a small number have addressed urological cancer in these survivors. The aim of the present study was to investigate the clinicopathological features of prostate cancer (PCa) in A‑bomb survivors. The clinicopathological features and prognosis of PCa were retrospectively reviewed in 212 survivors and 595 control patients between November 1996 and December 2010. The histopathological and clinical outcomes of surgical treatment of PCa were also evaluated in 69 survivors and 162 control patients. Despite the higher age at diagnosis compared with the control group (P=0.0031), survivors were more likely to have been diagnosed with PCa from a health check compared with the control group (P<0.0001). As a consequence, the survivors were found to exhibit metastasis significantly less frequently (199/212, 93.9%) compared with the control patients (521/595, 87.6%; P=0.0076). Prognosis in the two groups was examined, subsequent to a mean length of follow‑up of 44 months. Overall survival (OS) and PCa‑specific survival (CS) were similar between the two groups (OS, P=0.2196; CS, P=0.1017). A‑bomb exposure was not found to be an independent predictor for prognosis by multivariate analysis (OS, P=0.7800; CS, P=0.8688). The clinicopathological features of patients who underwent a prostatectomy were similar except for the diagnosis opportunity between the two groups. Progression‑free survival rates were similar between the two groups (P=0.5630). A‑bomb exposure was not a significant and independent predictor for worsening of progression‑free prognosis by multivariate analysis (P=0.3763). A‑bomb exposure does not appear to exert deleterious effects on the biological aggressiveness of PCa and the prognosis of patients with PCa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bladder cancer, the majority of which is urothelial carcinoma (UC), is a common malignancy worldwide. Genes encoding transmembrane/secretory proteins expressed specifically in certain cancers may be ideal biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and may represent therapeutic targets. In the present study, the expression and function of the bone marrow stromal cell antigen 2 (BST2) gene was analyzed in UC. Reverse transcription‑quantitative polymerase chain reaction demonstrated that expression of BST2 in normal tissue samples was the highest in liver tissue. However, expression of BST2 in UC tissue samples was higher than in normal liver. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed weak or no staining of BST‑2 in non‑neoplastic mucosa, whereas UC tissue exhibited stronger and more extensive staining compared with non‑neoplastic mucosa. BST‑2 staining was observed mainly on UC cell membranes. In total, 28 (41%) of 69 UC cases were positive for BST‑2. UC cases positive for BST‑2 were more frequently T2/3/4 cases [so‑called muscle‑invasive bladder cancer (MIBC)] than Ta/is/1 cases (P=0.0001). However, Kaplan‑Meier analysis demonstrated no association between BST‑2 expression and survival. BST2 small interfering RNA (siRNA)‑transfected T24 cells exhibited significantly reduced cell growth relative to negative control siRNA‑transfected T24 cells. The levels of phosphorylated Akt and extracellular signal‑regulated kinase were lower in BST2 siRNA‑transfected T24 cells than in control cells. These results suggest the involvement of BST‑2 in the pathogenesis of UC. Since BST‑2 is expressed on the cell membrane, BST‑2 may be a good therapeutic target for MIBC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately 70 years have passed since the atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. To elucidate potential biomarkers and possible mechanisms of radiation-induced cancer, the expression of FKTN, which encodes fukutin protein and causes Fukuyama-type congenital muscular dystrophy, was analyzed in gastric cancer (GC) tissue samples from atomic bomb survivors. Expression of cluster of differentiation (CD) 10 was also evaluated, as it has previously been observed that positive fukutin expression was frequently noted in CD10-positive GC cases. In the first cohort from Hiroshima Red Cross Hospital and Atomic-Bomb Survivors Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=92), 102 (53%) of the GC cases were positive for fukutin. Expression of fukutin was not associated with exposure status, but was associated with CD10 expression (P=0.0001). The second cohort was from Hiroshima University Hospital (Hiroshima, Japan; n=86), and these patients were also in the Life Span Study cohort, in which atomic bomb radiation doses were precisely estimated using the DS02 system. Expression of fukutin was detected in 58 (67%) of GC cases. GC cases positive for fukutin were observed more frequently in the low dose-exposed group than in the high dose-exposed group (P=0.0001). Further studies with a larger cohort, including precise radiation dose estimation, may aid in clarifying whether fukutin could serve as a potential biomarker to define radiation-induced GC in atomic-bomb survivors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]