The Bladder Cancer Group at MOMA

About Bladder Cancer
Bladder cancer is a common malignant disease, which basically presents in two different forms:
superficial tumors (stage Ta and T1), where an attempt to local, organ-sparing treatment may be made, and muscle invasive cancers (stage T2+), requiring immediate radical treatment, if cure is intended.

Extensive research has been carried out to find reliable molecular markers that predict the specific disease course a bladder cancer patient follows. However, none of these markers have been accepted into clinical routine.

The overall purpose of our research activities is to utilize clinical material with long-term follow-up information to identify new diagnostic and prognostic markers for applying the optimal treatment regimens to patients suffering from bladder cancer. Furthermore, our research aims at acquiring a better understanding of the bladder cancer disease at the molecular level.

Bladder Cancer Tissue Bank
Most of our research is based on our large bladder cancer tissue bank, which now contains more than 40,000 samples of tumor tissue, blood and urine from more that 1900 cancer patients, collected prospectively since 1994 in close collaboration with the Department of Urology and the Department of Oncology at Aarhus University Hospital. All information is organized in a database, including pathology, treatment regimens followed, and sample characteristics (size, growth pattern, multiplicity, concomitant carcinoma in situ). We have full prospective clinical follow-up information for all patients in the project and consequently it is possible for us to make searches in the database for patients with specific disease courses.

Current research activities

Analysis of the variation in the genome in correlation to cancer progression using SNP microarray technology.

Identification and description of the early molecular changes in premalignant lesions of the bladder (stage Ta tumors and intraurothelial dysplasia) in relation to bladder cancer development, using various molecular techniques including gene expression microarrays, mapping SNP microarrays, target SNP assays, mutation analysis, immunohistochemistry and functional genomics.

Characterization of diagnostic and prognostic markers in the urine and urinary cells from patients with bladder cancer.

Identification of molecular gene expression signatures for predicting disease outcome. We have previously identified signatures for disease stage, recurrence rate, progression potential and for concomitant carcinoma in situ.

Identification of molecular signatures for predicting disease outcome in advanced bladder cancer. Including prediction of metastatic disease in patients scheduled for cystectomy and prediction of response to various forms of chemotherapy.

Prospective international multi-center validation study of identified gene expression signatures.

Group Leader
Lars Dyrskjøt Andersen, Associate Professor, MSc, PhD