ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews the most relevant data that permit the risk assessment of bladder cancer, based on the measurement of biomarkers. It considers separately biomarkers relevant to the etiology, and biomarkers relevant to the clinical assessment of such cancers. Several genetic alterations have been detected in bladder cancer, and these have been proposed as biomarkers for the clinical follow-up of the patients. Occupational exposures to aromatic amines account for 5%–25% of bladder cancers occurring in some areas of Western countries. The latter observation suggests that arylamines and not polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in tobacco smoke may be responsible of bladder cancer in smokers. Slow acetylators have been shown to be at high risk of bladder cancer in epidemiological investigations. In conclusion, the risk of bladder cancer in Western countries is mainly explained by exposure to tobacco smoke and some occupational agents, and it is modulated by polymorphic genetic traits.
