Collaboration on the late effect of radiation around Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site

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Since 1995, we have been performing investigations around Semipalatinsk Nuclear Testing Site(SNTS). In 1998, Nagasaki University and Semipalatinsk Medical Academy connected a sister university relationship. Based on this relationship, we accepted one post-graduate course student from Semipalatinsk. In 1999, we firstly demostrated the incidence of ret/PTC3 rearrangement in patients with thyroid cancer around SNTS (Lancet 354 : 1528-29, 1999). Furthermore, we focused on an increasing incidence of skin cancer around SNTS, and performed a comparative pathological and molecular analysis of basic cell carcinoma(BCC), which is thought to be induced late-effectively at low to medium radiation-exposed doses, between East Kazakhstan State(including SNTS) and Japan. Results of our study are as follows,i) histologically, the percentage of solid subtype cases in Kazakhstan is significantly higher than in Japan,ii) P53 overexpression was observed was highly observed in sections from Japan, as well a … More s from East Kazakhstan, andiii) The incidence of p53 overexpression in non-neoplastic basal cell layer of epidermis surrounding BCC from East Kazakhstan is significantly higher than that from Japan.These results suggest that p53 abnormalities are more frequent event at early stages of carcinogenesis of BCC around SNTS than in Japan. Further investigation on molecular level is needed.Furthermore, we observed a localization of _-catenin gene, which is a group of intracellular cell adhesion molecules that unite cytoskeleton with extracellular adhesion system, among thyroid cancer cases around SNTS, and identified the high incidence of translocation of _-catenin into cytosol, compared with cases of chronic thyroiditis and adnomatous goiter.Besides such a series of molecular research, in order to improve diagnosis, treatment and follow-up of patients with thyroid cancer, through the introduction of a distanced medical assistance system, i.e telemedicine has been introduced between Nagasaki and Semiopalatinsk in 1999. Since its establishment, images of over 600 cases, that were suspected to have thyroid abnormalities, have been sent from Semipalatinsk for diagnostic support by specialists in Nagasaki. Among these cases, some have been revealed to have thyroid cancers, confirmed by cytological findings. These cases will be also analyzed using above mentioned molecular techniques. Less