Genetic Susceptibility to Tumor Recurrence and Progression in Patients With Non-Muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer

Overview

The purpose of the study is to see if we will be more able to tell what the risk is for bladder cancer to reoccur or worsen when genetics and risk factors are examined along with the stage and grade of the tumor. Superficial bladder cancer is a cancer that does not grow into the muscle layer of the bladder wall. Even though it is a superficial cancer, this type of cancer tends to come back after being treated and is often more aggressive when it returns. We already know, that the "stage" or how deeply the tumor grows into the bladder wall and the "grade" or how fast the tumor grows affect whether the tumor will come back or get worse over time. Now we use information about the stage and grade of your tumor to decide how to treat the tumor and how often you should be checked after the treatment is over. However, this has not been very reliable, because each person has unique genetic characteristics and other factors that are likely to affect what happens to the tumor over time. For instance, we know the risk for developing a cancer may be affected by your surroundings and other factors such as what you eat, the type of habits you have such as smoking, and the type of job you have, but not everyone exposed to the same risk factors gets a cancer. We believe this is due to unique genetic characteristics in each person which may help their body fight cancer.

This is a hospital based cohort study where subjects diagnosed within twelve months with nonmuscle invasive bladder cancer will be evaluated to determine whether candidate genetic variants are associated with the risk of recurrence and progression. Known tumor variables will be stratified and correlated with markers. The long term goal is to estimate the predicted risk of recurrence or progression well enough to modify surveillance schedules. Since 40% of superficial bladder cancer patients will never recur or progress, these individuals could return less frequently for followup, saving costs and discomfort. All patients will receive usual care and be followed to determine rates of recurrence and progression of the disease. Each subject will donate 30 ml of blood for extraction of genomic DNA and isolation of lymphocytes to assess DNA damage/repair function. In addition, each subject who undergoes a transurethral resection of the bladder (TURB) and/or random bladder biopsies as part of his/her usual care will donate urothelial cells from the random bladder biopsies for analyses of DNA damage/repair function. The DNA repair capacity of lymphocytes will be correlated with that of normal bladder tissue to evaluate the use of lymphocytes as a surrogate marker. When bladder biopsy tissue is not available, urothelial cells will be obtained from a cystoscopic or catheterized bladder lavage.