Molecular markers for predicting recurrence, progression and outcomes of bladder cancer (do the poster boys need new posters

Purpose of review<br/>Molecular markers for bladder cancer recurrence and<br/>progression continue to drive many research programmes.<br/>Translating the laboratory findings into the clinical environment<br/>where these markers are used in clinical decision making has<br/>proved problematic. In the clinical arena, stage and grade are<br/>still the main focus for decisions about patient management.<br/>There is however an evolution in bladder cancer research from<br/>single-marker/single-pathway research to a more global<br/>assessment of the tumour cell with DNA microarrays and<br/>proteomics.<br/>Recent findings<br/>In the last year, DNA microarray assessment has revealed<br/>several interesting molecular markers such as p33ING1 and<br/>DEK. Parallel ‘conventional’ single-pathway research has<br/>focused on new novel markers such as HER2/neu, survivin and<br/>matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP-2). Molecular markers that<br/>have a long-standing association with bladder cancer<br/>progression such as p53, E-cadherin and Ki-67 have been<br/>reviewed by both single-marker studies and by microarray<br/>studies and their status remains important.<br/>Summary<br/>It is an exciting time in the molecular biology research of bladder<br/>cancer as the focus changes to assess the global genetic and<br/>protein expression within tumour cells. From such a wealth of<br/>information it is likely that molecular markers will make the<br/>translation from benchside to bedside.