[Clinical relevance of acetylator phenotyping in 196 urothelial tumor patients]

A total of 196 patients with urothelial tumours were phenotyped for N-acetyltransferase 2 by the molar ratio of two caffeine metabolites excreted in urine. The proportion of "slow" acetylators, who are genetically predisposed to urothelial tumours if they have been exposed to aromatic amines in the past, in the entire group was 55%, within the range in a normal population. Among 40 patients with assumed former occupational exposure to aromatic amines, 65% were "slow" acetylators. Invasiveness, histopathological grading of the urothelial tumour at the time of first diagnosis, and course were not related to acetylator phenotype.