Urothelial carcinoma of the urinary bladder (UCB) is a highly heterogeneous malignancy that causes significant morbidity and mortality.
Despite advances in surgical and medical treatment, there has been no change in mortality in UCB over the past decades. Standard pathological features (stage, grade, nodal status) provide only limited information regarding biological potential and clinical behavior. Molecular biomarkers may shed light on important mechanisms of pathogenesis, provide useful additional prognostic information, and serve as targets for therapy. This review summarizes recent advances and the most promising UCB tissue and blood biomarkers of the past few years. We discuss the predictive and prognostic value of biomarkers at different stages of UCB. There is no doubt that a panel of biomarkers will eventually improve our clinical decision-making with regard to treatment and follow-up.
Written by:
Rink M, Cha EK, Green D, Hansen J, Robinson BD, Lotan Y, Sagalowsky AI, Chun FK, Karakiewicz PI, Fisch M, Scherr DS, Shariat SF. Are you the author?
Department of Urology, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY, USA.
Reference: Curr Urol Rep. 2012 Feb 23. Epub ahead of print.
doi: 10.1007/s11934-012-0237-1
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 22354565
