The Molecular Basis of Bladder Cancer and Prospects for Gene Therapy Using Hammerhead Ribozymes

Bladder cancer is the most common malignancy of the urinary tract, and is the sixth most common cancer in men, and the tenth most common cancer in women. In 1996, it is anticipated that over 52,000 new cases of bladder cancer will be diagnosed in the United States, and that there will be nearly 12,000 deaths attributed to this disease (Wingo et al., 1995). Transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) is the predominant type of urinary tract cancer in the United States, comprising more than 90% of all bladder cancers (Silverman et al., 1992).