Translational research will fail without surgical leadership: SCOTRRCC a successful surgeon-led Nationwide translational research infrastructure in renal cancer.

Background: High quality human biosamples with associated high quality clinical data are essential for successful translational research. Despite this, the traditional approach is for the surgeon to act as a technician in the tissue collection act. Biomarker research presents multiple challenges and the field is littered with failures.

Variation in genomic landscape of clear cell renal cell carcinoma across Europe.

The incidence of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is increasing worldwide, and its prevalence is particularly high in some parts of Central Europe. Here we undertake whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing of clear cell RCC (ccRCC), the most common form of the disease, in patients from four different European countries with contrasting disease incidence to explore the underlying genomic architecture of RCC. Our findings support previous reports on frequent aberrations in the epigenetic machinery and PI3K/mTOR signalling, and uncover novel pathways and genes affected by recurrent mutations and abnormal transcriptome patterns including focal adhesion, components of extracellular matrix (ECM) and genes encoding FAT cadherins.

Reclassification of the Fuhrman grading system in renal cell carcinoma-does it make a difference?

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether reclassifying the Fuhrman grading system provides further prognostic information.

Materials And Methods: We studied the pathological features and cancer specific survival of 237 patients with clear cell cancer undergoing surgery between 1997-2007 in a single centre. The original Fuhrman grading system was investigated as well as various simplified models utilising the original Fuhrman grade.

Sprouty2, PTEN, and PP2A interact to regulate prostate cancer progression.

Concurrent activation of RAS/ERK and PI3K/AKT pathways is implicated in prostate cancer progression. The negative regulators of these pathways, including sprouty2 (SPRY2), protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A), and phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), are commonly inactivated in prostate cancer. The molecular basis of cooperation between these genetic alterations is unknown.

A prospective study of the role of inflammation in bladder cancer.

Introduction: To examine the role of inflammation in bladder cancer, we assessed the relationship between a systemic inflammation prognostic score (modified Glasgow Prognostic Score, mGPS), the tumor inflammatory cell infiltrate as measured by the Klintrup-Makinen score and tumor necrosis with cancer specific survival in patients with bladder cancer.

Materials And Methods: The cohort consisted of 68 bladder cancer patients, 47 with localised disease and 21 with muscle invasive disease. The mGPS response was constructed by measuring C-reactive protein and albumin concentrations and the Klintrup-Makinen score was evaluated histologically for the local inflammatory response.