Abstract:Objective To investigate the clinicopathological significance of the amino acid transporters in patients with bladder cancer. Methods The surgically resected bladder cancer tissues of 93 patients were stained by immunohistochemistry for detection of the expressions of L-type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1), system ASC amino acid transporter 2 (ASCT2), x-C-type cystine/glutamate transporter (xCT), Ki-67 and CD34. Results The positive expresseion rates of LAT1, ASCT2 and xCT were 55.9% (52/93), 77.4% (72/93) and 65.6% (61/93), respectively. Positive ASCT2 expression was significantly associated with LAT1 and Ki-67 expressions. By univariate analysis, ASCT2 expression and disease stage had close relationships with overall survival. Tumor size and disease stage had close relationships with disease-free survival. Multivariate analysis confirmed that ASCT2 expression was an independent predictor for poor outcome after surgery. Conclusions ASCT2 can serve as a significant marker for prediction of negative prognosis after surgery.