T HELPER 1/2 LYMPHOCYTE URINARY CYTOKINE PROFILES IN RESPONDING AND NONRESPONDING PATIENTS AFTER 1 AND 2 COURSES OF BACILLUS CALMETTE-GUERIN FOR SUPERFICIAL BLADDER CANCER:

Genetic susceptibility to bladder cancer risk and outcome

Bladder cancer is an excellent model for studying genetic susceptibility and gene-environment interaction in cancer etiology. The candidate gene approach found NAT2 slow acetylator and GSTM1-null genotypes to be bladder cancer susceptibility loci and also demonstrated interactions between these two genotypes and smoking in modulating bladder cancer risk. Recent genome-wide association studies identified at least eight novel genetic susceptibility loci for bladder cancer. Genetic determinants of clinical outcomes have been inconclusive. The future directions are to identify more genetic susceptibility loci for bladder cancer risk and outcome through a genome-wide association study approach, identify the causal genes and variants, study the biological mechanisms underlying the association between the causal variants and bladder cancer risk, detect gene-environment interactions and incorporate genetic knowledge into clinically applicable risk prediction models to benefit patients and public health.

The pharmacogenetic impact of inflammatory genes on bladder cancer recurrence

Although superficial bladder cancer can generally be treated successfully, tumor recurrence is a serious clinical problem, with a recurrence rate of approximately 70%. Clinicopathologic markers for superficial bladder cancer recurrence remain the best prognostic predictors in clinical decision making. Biomarkers that may complement clinicopathological parameters and increase the accuracy of outcome prediction have been extensively studied. A large number of molecular markers, including inflammatory genes, have been suggested to have predictive value for bladder cancer recurrence. The role of inflammation in the development and progression of bladder cancer, as in other malignancies, is gaining increased recognition. This review will summarize recent data regarding the impact of genetic variations in inflammatory genes on de novo bladder cancer recurrence, as well as recurrence in the context of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment. Genomic variation as a mechanism that may modify BCG efficacy is discussed in detail.