Screening for bladder cancer: the best opportunity to reduce mortality

Bladder cancer kills more women than cervical cancer and is also a significant cause of mortality in men. Little progress has been made in improving survival in patients with advanced bladder cancer. Two pilot studies using microhematuria screening have shown that screening for bladder cancer results in close to 80% downstaging, with high-grade cancers being detected before they have invaded the bladder wall. Results of long-term follow-up even suggest a striking reduction in bladder cancer mortality. The main obstacles to screening for bladder cancer may be overcome if a higher-risk population is identified by designing a risk scale for exposure to cigarette smoke and occupational carcinogens, and through genetic testing for susceptibility to cancer and home hematuria screening, which in itself identifies a population with approximately 3% to 4% risk of bladder cancer. The feasibility and cost effectiveness of screening for bladder cancer can be significantly improved by incorporating a secondary screening strategy using a more sensitive and specific bladder cancer marker that is currently available, and by limiting urological evaluations to patients who show positive results on one or more of these tests. Bladder cancer is the most costly cancer to treat in the United States and pharmacoeconomic studies suggest that screening for bladder cancer could not only save lives but also reduce costs per year-life saved. A pilot study is underway and the urology community should be very supportive of studies to validate this opportunity.