OBJECTIVE To evaluate the activation level of the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway in Chinese patients with prostate cancer, as this pathway is over‐activated in many human cancers and is an attractive target for cancer therapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS We used immunohistochemistry to investigate the activation level of five important markers of the mTOR pathway, including PTEN, p‐Akt, p‐mTOR, p‐p70S6K and p‐4E‐BP1, in tissues from 182 patients with prostate cancer, 20 with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and 10 with high‐grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN). The expression levels of these five markers were associated with patient clinical and pathological characteristics. RESULTS Expression levels of p‐Akt, p‐mTOR, p‐4E‐BP1 and p‐p70S6K were significantly higher in prostate cancer tissues than in BPH and HGPIN tissues. In 182 patients with prostate cancer the p‐mTOR expression level significantly and positively correlated with its upstream p‐Akt and downstream p‐4E‐BP1 and p‐p70S6K expression levels. The cancer Gleason score was significantly correlated with p‐Akt and p‐mTOR expression level but not with p‐4E‐BP1 and p‐p70S6K expression level. However, the p‐4E‐BP1and p‐p70S6K expression levels in primary cancer lesions were statistically significantly correlated with patient T stage and distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS Most patients with prostate cancer have at least one component of the mTOR signalling pathway activated. The activation of the mTOR pathway might be involved in prostate cancer development and progression. The association between activation of mTOR pathway and patient clinicopathological variables suggested that not all patients are equally amenable to treatment strategies targeting the mTOR pathway.

During surgeries, the concentration of PM(2.5) could reach a very unhealthy status, especially for the chief surgeon who is the nearest to the incision site. Surgical smoke evacuation in the first few seconds of a cut is essential; however, using smoke evacuators such as a wall suction alone may not be enough.

Squamous cell carcinoma antigen is not a sensitive marker of tumor burden. However, it has prognostic significance for disease-free survival in patients with penile cancer treated with surgery.

The medial inguinal package defined in our study was the first involved lymph node region in penile cancer cases. Extranodal extension was an important predictor of extended lymph node metastasis beyond the medial inguinal package.