Expression of the fluoropyrimidine-metabolizing enzymes in bladder cancers as measured by the Danenberg tumor profile

5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) and its prodrugs are used to treat various cancers. Response to 5-FU-based chemotherapy and expression of 5-FU-related enzymes differ among cancers. The objective of the present study was to investigate the relationship between the expression of 5-FU-related enzymes and clinicopathologic factors in bladder cancer. Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections of 44 bladder cancers and 27 normal bladders were included in this study. After laser capture microdissection, "Danenberg tumor profile," was performed for the measurement of 5-FU-related enzymes. There was no significant difference between dihydropyrimidine hydrogenase (DPD) mRNA expression in bladder cancer and in normal bladder. On the contrary, mRNA expressions of orotate phosphoribosyltransferase (OPRT), thymidylate synthase (TS), and thymidine phosphorylase (TP) in bladder cancer were higher than those in normal bladder. Compared with previously reported DPD mRNA expressions in other types of cancer, DPD mRNA expression in bladder cancer was relatively low. The 5-FU-related enzymatic condition of bladder cancer is favorable for 5-FU.