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RNF2 (ring finger protein 2) is frequently overexpressed in several types of human cancer, but the status of RNF2 amplification and expression in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and its clinical/prognostic significance is unclear. In this study, immunohistochemical analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to examine the expression and amplification of RNF2 in 184 UCB patients after radical cystectomy. Overexpression of RNF2 was observed in 44.0% of UCBs and was found to significantly associate with shortened overall and cancer-specific survival (P P P RNF2 in 8/79 (10.1%) of informative UCB cases. Additionally, RNF2 overexpression was significantly associated with RNF2 gene amplification (P = 0.004) and cell proliferation (P = 0.003). These findings suggested that overexpression of RNF2, as examined by immunohistochemical analysis, might serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and potential therapeutic target for UCB patients who undergo radical cystectomy.

Background Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP 1), the nuclear effector of the Hippo pathway, is a key regulator of organ size and a candidate human oncogene in multiple tumors. However, the expression dynamics of YAP 1 in urothelial carcinoma of the bladder (UCB) and its clinical/prognostic significance are unclear. Methods In this study, the methods of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blotting and immunohistochemistry (IHC) were utilized to investigate mRNA/ protein expression of YAP 1 in UCBs. Spearman’s rank correlation, Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to analyze the data. Results Up-regulated expression of YAP 1 mRNA and protein was observed in the majority of UCBs by qRT-PCR and Western blotting, when compared with their paired normal bladder tissues. By IHC, positive expression of YAP 1 was examined in 113/213 (53.1%) of UCBs and in 6/86 (7.0%) of normal bladder specimens tissues. Positive expression of YAP 1 was correlated with poorer differentiation, higher T classification and higher N classification (P < 0.05). In univariate survival analysis, a significant association between positive expression of YAP 1 and shortened patients’ survival was found (P < 0.001). In different subsets of UCB patients, YAP 1 expression was also a prognostic indicator in patients with grade 2 (P = 0.005) or grade 3 (P = 0.046) UCB, and in patients in pT1 (P = 0.013), pT2-4 (P = 0.002), pN- (P < 0.001) or pT2-4/pN- (P = 0.004) stage. Importantly, YAP 1 expression (P = 0.003) together with pT and pN status (P< 0.05) provided significant independent prognostic parameters in multivariate analysis. Conclusions Our findings provide evidences that positive expression of YAP 1 in UCB may be important in the acquisition of an aggressive phenotype, and it is an independent biomarker for poor prognosis of patients with UCB.

To investigate the association between body mass index and oncological outcomes in Chinese patients who had undergone radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma.Between August 1998 and October 2009, 236 consecutive Chinese patients underwent radical nephroureterectomy for upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou, China). Body mass index data were available for 230 (97.5%) of these patients. All 230 patients were classified into three groups according to the body mass index criteria for Asians, issued by the Asia Cohort Consortium: underweight, body mass index18.5 kg/m(2) (n = 21, 9.1%); normal weight, body mass index ≥18.5 and25 kg/m(2) (n = 151, 65.7%); and obesity, body mass index ≥25 kg/m(2), (n = 58, 25.2%). Spearman's rank correlation, Kaplan-Meier plots and Cox proportional hazards regression model were used to analyze the data.Being underweight was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis (P = 0.017) and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (P = 0.003). Univariate analysis showed recurrence-free survival and cancer-specific survival were significantly worse in underweight patients than in patients with normal weight or obese patients. After adjustments for other clinicopathological variables, multivariate analysis confirmed that recurrence-free survival and cancer-specific survival were significantly worse in underweight patients than in patients with normal weight or obese patients (recurrence-free survival P = 0.014, cancer-specific survival P = 0.015).Preoperative underweight is an independent predictor of unfavorable recurrence-free survival and cancer-specific survival in Chinese patients with upper urinary tract urothelial carcinoma treated by radical nephroureterectomy, whereas obesity is associated with superior recurrence-free survival and cancer-specific survival. Further studies, including a multi-institutional, prospective, Asian cohort study, are required to confirm these findings.