Gene-based urinary biomarkers for bladder cancer: An unfulfilled promise?

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Noninvasive biomarkers are used routinely in the clinical management of several cancers but bladder cancer detection and surveillance remains dependent on invasive procedures such as cystoscopy. No validated biomarker currently exists in routine clinical practice other than cytology. Gene-based testing has shown great promise for biomarker profiling and this review addresses the current state of biomarker research in bladder cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A comprehensive review of all published literature on urinary biomarkers from 1970 - 2012 was conducted in PubMed. Keywords used alone or in combination were bladder cancer, diagnosis, surveillance, urinary biomarker, molecular b..