Waiting in the wings: the emerging role of molecular biomarkers in bladder cancer

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Bladder cancer (BCa) is the fifth most frequently diagnosed cancer worldwide and is, in fact, the most expensive cancer on a per-patient to treat basis. There is a critical need to implement new tests into clinical practice to improve the quality of clinical care, decrease unnecessary invasive therapies and ultimately save costs. Currently, no molecular or genetic biomarker has been widely integrated into daily clinical practice. However, major milestones have been achieved in our understanding of the molecular alterations in BCa that will provide the basis for integrating molecular and genetic biomarkers into clinical decision making to guide management. Clinical implementation of such novel molecular and genetic concepts is the cornerstone in an effort to usher the age of precision medicine into patient care.

Areas covered: In this review, the authors discuss the emerging role of molecular biomarkers in patients receiving BCG immunotherapy as well as neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy in BCa.

Expert commentary: Molecular predictive and prognostic biomarkers in BCa are promising diagnostic options that will pave the way for molecular-based personalized medicine.

KEYWORDS:

• BCG therapy
• bladder cancer
• molecular biomarker
• neoadjuvant therapy
• personalized medicine
• predictive biomarker
• prognostic biomarker

Declaration of Interest

M Abufaraj was awarded a European Urological Scholarship Program grant (EUSP/Scholarship S-01-2018). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.