Advances in Bladder Cancer

The purpose of this chapter is to highlight areas of research into bladder cancer which have either developed significantly over recent years or remain areas of persistent controversy. Several key factors have been instrumental in making bladder cancer one of the most exciting growing points in urology. A better understanding of the genetic mechanisms which may predispose certain individuals to the development of cancer is being achieved by means of biochemical and pharmacogenetic studies; and molecular biological studies when applied to the tumours themselves are leading to increased knowledge about the mechanisms of tumour formation, progression and metastasis.