Biomarker Panel May Aid in Defining Treatment for Bladder Cancer

Cancer researchers have defined a panel of four biomarkers that may enable clinicians to predict the likelihood of recurrence of bladder cancer and help to guide the choice of treatment options.

Investigators at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (Dallas, USA) used immunostaining techniques to detect mutations in the genes for the pro-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2, caspase-3, P53, and survivin in serial tissue microarrays taken from 226 patients.

They reported in the February 2007 issue of The Lancet Oncology that patients with mutations in all four biomarkers had a significantly increased rate of mortality from cancer after surgery. Patients with no mutations in the four biomarkers had a 90% chance of survival at five years compared to less than 20% if they had four mutated markers.

"Our goal is to identify patients who have a higher chance of cancer recurrence,” said first author Dr. Jose Karam, a medical resident at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. "If we can identify key biomarker alterations in these patients, we might be able to predict who will benefit from treatments such as chemotherapy. Patients who have alterations on all four biomarkers might benefit from adjuvant chemotherapy even if the cancer appears to be confined to their bladder. Otherwise, their chances for survival are likely to be poor. Likewise, those who show none of the biomarkers might not need unnecessary chemotherapy.”


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University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center