Disseminated tumour cells in bladder cancer

Molecular analysis of disseminated tumour cells (DTC) may aid in predicting the course of the disease and response to therapies in individual patients. It has been shown in bladder cancer and many other cancer types that the presence of disseminated tumour cells or occult micrometastases in bone marrow or lymph nodes is associated with shorter survival. This type of analysis is particularly important for patients who have been declared disease-free after postsurgery histopathological and clinical imaging analysis. However, comprehensive molecular analysis of disseminated tumour cells is challenging due to the low amount of material and great heterogeneity of the disease. Therefore, currently the routine molecular analysis of these cells is hardly possible in daily clinical practice. Nevertheless, we see daily advances in clinical utility of analysis of cellular or cell-free liquid biopsy analytes taken before, during or after surgery. These advances will enable an integration of translational research workflows into clinical decision-making.