Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0403608 (ureter)
 9,655 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Primary cancers of the ureter and renal pelvis are rare tumours, > 90% of which are transitional cell carcinomas. Only approximately 5% of urothelial tumours arise in the upper urinary tract (UUT). Many environmental factors contribute to the development of these cancers. Some are similar to bladder cancer-associated factors (tobacco, occupational exposure), while others are more specific to carcinogenesis of the UUT (phenacetine, Balkan endemic nephropathy [BEN], Chinese herb nephropathy or association with Blackfoot disease [BFD]). This review discusses the environmental factors involved in UUT carcinoma. Tobacco and occupational exposure remain the principal exogenous risk factors for developing these tumours. Conversely, carcinogenesis of UUT tumours resulting from phenacetine consumption has almost disappeared. Although the incidence of BEN is also on the decline, roles for aristolochic acid and the consumption of Chinese herbs in the physiopathology and induction of this nephropathy, respectively, have proposed. In Taiwan, the association of this tumour type with BFD and arsenic exposure remains unclear to date. As some genetic polymorphisms are associated with an increased risk of cancer or faster disease progression, there is variability in interindividual susceptibility to the development of UUT carcinoma when exposed to the aforementioned risk factors Cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) catalyse the detoxification of many environmental chemicals but also in the bioactivation of dietary and other mutagens. Polymorphism of the SULT gene, is thought to confer susceptibility to upper tract tumours.
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PMID:Environmental factors involved in carcinogenesis of urothelial cell carcinomas of the upper urinary tract. 1968 73

Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma (UTUC) is an uncommon disease which occurs more frequently in some regions of Balkan countries than in other areas in the world. Investigation of UTUC in the South Morava River basin and its tributaries where BEN is endemic revealed increased frequency not only of tumour of the renal pelvis and ureter but also of urinary bladder tumours. A comparative morphological and immunohistochemical study of UTUC in the BEN region and control rural and city populations free of BEN, identify growth pattern as the best morphological characteristic which differentiated BEN and control tumours, i.e. solid growth for BEN tumours and papillary for control tumours. Overexpression of tumour suppressor p53 as well as decreased expression of E-CD was detected in BEN tumours. Other cells cycle related molecular markers--Cyclin D1, p16, and HER-2 showed no difference in expression between groups, as well as the proliferative marker Ki-67. Investigation of apoptosis-related markers identifies Bax as a specific marker of BEN-associated UTUC. Decrease of the pro-apoptotic protein Bax together with alteration of Survivin may be indicative of specific disturbances of an intrinsic apoptotic pathway in UTUC arising in endemic areas.
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PMID:Endemic nephropathy and upper urothelial carcinoma--new insights in molecular biology. 2480 10