Elsevier

Urology

Volume 65, Issue 2, February 2005, Pages 411-414
Urology

Basic science
Can mycoplasma-mediated oncogenesis be responsible for formation of conventional renal cell carcinoma?

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2004.10.015Get rights and content

Abstract

Objectives

To investigate the association between Mycoplasma sp. infection and conventional renal cell carcinoma (RCC).

Methods

Normal kidney, renal intratubular neoplasia, and tumor tissue samples from 33 patients with RCC and 35 healthy controls were studied. Molecular DNA analysis was done after nested polymerase chain reaction performed in two steps with seven primers (four outer and three inner) that can recognize at least 15 different Mycoplasma sp.

Results

Mycoplasma sp. DNA was detected in normal kidney, renal intratubular neoplasia, and tumor tissue samples at a ratio of 36%, 67%, and 82%, respectively. In 6 of the 33 patients with RCC, no Mycoplasma sp. was detected from any of the three tissue samples. Mycoplasma sp. DNA was detected in only 5 (14%) of the 35 samples from the control group.

Conclusions

The relationship between mycoplasma infection and conventional RCC has been investigated for the first time, and a significantly high existence of Mycoplasma sp. DNA was found in the tissues of patients with conventional RCC compared with that found in a healthy control group. This suggests that mycoplasma-mediated multistage carcinogenesis may play a role in the development of RCC.

Section snippets

Subjects

Tissue samples from 33 patients with cRCC who had undergone radical nephrectomy were studied (mean age, 62 years; male/female ratio 2.3:1). The tumors were histologically classified according to the criteria described by Störkel et al.8 The TNM 1997 classification system was used for tumor staging, and the tumors were graded according to Fuhrman nuclear grading system.9, 10 Patients with T1N0M0, T2N0M0, and T3aN0M0 tumors were accepted as having localized disease; patients with all other stages

Results

Nested PCR was successfully done in all DNA samples isolated from normal kidney, RIN, and tumor tissues of patients with cRCC. Figure 1 shows the gel image of the nested PCR products, including mycoplasma-positive controls and patients. Amplified control tissues and samples had between 200 and 350-bp bands. Mycoplasma sp. DNA was detected in 12 (36%) of 33 samples of normal kidney, 22 (67%) of 33 samples of RIN, and 27 (82%) of 33 tumor samples. In 6 of the 33 patients with RCC, no Mycoplasma

Comment

Mycoplasma sp. exist widely in nature. Mycoplasma infections are widespread in cell culture studies and are a problem in laboratory studies. Mycoplasma sp. can cause chromosomal abnormalities in many cell types, and these cells can gain an oncogenic potential in long-lasting infections (6 weeks or more).6, 7, 13, 14 Mycoplasma sp. rDNA was detected in 56% of gastric carcinoma tissues, 28% of chronic superficial gastritis, 30% of gastric ulcer, 37% of intestinal metaplasia, 55% of colon cancer,

Conclusions

Our results suggest an association between Mycoplasma sp. infection and cRCC. Confirmation of our results by other investigators may help to highlight the role of mycoplasma in the development of cancer.

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