Molecular pathogenesis of urothelial bladder cancer

Carcinoma of the urinary bladder is the second most common urologic malignancy. In addition, these tumors are one of the best understood genitourinary neoplasms with a well defined etiology, natural history, tumor biology, treatment options and outcome. This level of understanding arises as a consequence of multiple factors and represents a convergence of knowledge from diverse scientific disciplines. Insight provided by these disciplines, coupled with unique features of this neoplasm which make it assessable for detection, monitoring and treatment, combine to make this disease a model system for modern oncology. The intent of this review is to provide the reader an overview of our current understanding of this tumor from the standpoint of its molecular biology as related to tumor development and progression.