Single nucleotide polymorphisms: early diagnosis and risk assessment in genitourinary malignancy

Genetic screening for malignancy has been limited to high-risk individuals with a strong hereditary predisposition to cancer. With the cloning of the human genome, it has become apparent that genetic anomalies are not limited to high-risk individuals; more than 10 million genetic variants exist. Because the vast majority of these genetic variants have no functional significance, current efforts are focused on identification of which impact cancer development and/or progression. Here, we review the rationale for studying polymorphic variants in urologic malignancies, prior studies in the field, and future avenues of research.