FAMILIAL TRANSITIONAL-CELL CARCINOMA

Purpose: Bladder cancer is a common malignancy, and a frequent cause o f urological consultation and surgical intervention. Except for smokin g and certain occupational exposures, the etiology of bladder cancer i s largely unknown, Although the majority of patients with bladder canc er do not have a family history of transitional cell carcinoma of the urinary tract, the study of familial transitional cell carcinoma may l ead to knowledge of the pathogenesis of this disease. Materials and Me thods: To evaluate the current understanding of familial transitional cell carcinoma, we reviewed the contemporary literature for case repor ts and epidemiological studies about this disease. Results: Numerous c ase reports document the clustering of transitional cell carcinoma in families, several of which demonstrate an extremely early age at onset of disease, which argues in favor of a genetic component to familial transitional cell carcinoma. The results of large epidemiological stud ies also suggest the existence of familial transitional cell carcinoma , and first degree relatives appear to have an increased risk for dise ase by a factor of 2, Familial clustering of smoking does not appear t o be the cause of this increased risk. Conclusions: Familial transitio nal cell carcinoma may be the result of a genetically transmitted pred isposition to disease, at least in some affected families. Further stu dies are required to identify candidate genes that may be responsible for this form of bladder cancer.