Bladder Carcinogenesis and Molecular Pathways

Bladder cancer is primarily a “carcinogenesis driven” cancer. Exposure to carcinogens such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), aromatic amines (AA), and nitrosamines through cigarette smoking, occupational exposure, and hair dyes, among other substances, is strongly associated with increased risk for bladder cancer (DeMarini 2004 Murta-Nascimento et al. 2007). Many of these carcinogens form bulky DNA adducts, eventually causing mutations and chromosomal aberrations (Castano-Vinyals et al. 2007 Veglia et al. 2008).