GeneCentric - Bladder Cancer Subtype Profiler (BCSP)
Bladder cancer is one of the most common types of cancer which like lung and other cancers, is quite heterogeneous. Bladder cancer occurs more frequently in men than women, generally at an older age, and is more common among smokers than non-smokers. The most common type of bladder cancer begins within cells that line the inside of the bladder, urothelial cells – also called transitional cells – as they can change shape and stretch when the bladder is full.
Other common types of bladder cancer are squamous cell carcinoma that originates in thin, flat cells which line the bladder, as well as adenocarcinoma that originates in mucous producing cells within the bladder. Based on experience in the classification of subtypes in lung adenocarcinomas, lung squamous cell carcinomas, as well as head and neck squamous cell carcinomas, GeneCentric is developing a comprehensive profiler for bladder cancers, consisting of four distinct subtypes as determined through our research. From recent TCGA findings (Robertson et al., 2017, Cell 171, 540–556 October 19, 2017) characterization of these subtypes reveals how they differ from one anothe with regard to mutation composition, immune cell infiltration or expression, and overall survival among other factors.