Bladder cancer subtypes defined by genomic alterations

Bladder tumours comprise a heterogeneous group with respect to both histopathology and clinical behaviour. Although many features of bladder tumours have been studied, assessment of risk for recurrence and progression to invasive disease is not precise and response to specific therapies cannot be predicted accurately. It is anticipated that a thorough knowledge of the molecular alterations that are involved in the development and progression of bladder cancer will lead to greater predictive power and the application of novel individualized therapies. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge of genomic alterations found in transitional cell carcinoma and putative precursor lesions.