Correlation of cytoplasmic beta-catenin and cyclin D1 overexpression during thyroid carcinogenesis around Semipalatinsk nuclear test site

The Semipalatinsk nuclear test site (SNTS), the Republic of Kazakhstan, has been contaminated by radioactive fallout. The alteration of oncogenic molecules in thyroid cancer around the SNTS was considered worthy of analysis because it presented the potential to elucidate the relationship between radiation exposure and thyroid cancer. This study aimed to analyze both beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expressions in thyroid carcinomas around the SNTS. We examined nine cases of chronic thyroiditis, eight cases of follicular adenomas, and 23 cases of papillary carcinomas. Immunohistochemically, all carcinomas displayed a strong cytosolic beta-catenin expression, while both chronic thyroiditis and follicular adenomas showed a significantly lower cytoplasmic beta-catenin (22.2% and 37.5%, respectively). No cyclin D1 immunoreactivity was evident in chronic thyroiditis. In contrast, 62.5% of follicular adenomas and 87.0% of papillary carcinoma showed cyclin D1 overexpression. Additionally, a strong correlation between cytoplasmic beta-catenin and cyclin D1 expression was suggested in thyroid tumors. This study revealed a higher prevalence of both aberrant beta-catenin expression and cyclin D1 overexpression in papillary thyroid cancers around the SNTS than sporadic cases. The analysis of the alteration of the Wnt signaling-related molecules in thyroid cancer around the SNTS may be important to gain an insight into radiation-induced thyroid tumorigenesis.

Ret proto-oncogene rearrangement in thyroid cancer around Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site

About 50 years ago, on August 29, 1949, the first nuclear device was exploded at the Semipalatinsk nuclear testing site located in the northern part of the Republic of Kazakhstan in the former USSR. Here we describe the first evidence of ret proto-oncogene rearrangement of thyroid cancer tissues around the site.