Background  

Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. In the United States alone, about 15,000 people are expected to die from it each year. Some bladder tumors can be removed with surgery and cured. However, about 20% of these tumors are very aggressive. These aggressive cancers usually need both surgery and strong chemotherapy, which can be very tough on patients. Even with these treatments, about half of aggressive bladder cancers come back and lead to death. 

Doctors and scientists do not fully understand why some bladder cancers spread and become deadly. Because of this, it is very important to study the biology of bladder cancer so that new and better treatments can be created. 

What This Research Proposes to Address 

The research team has been studying a gene called ATDC, also known as TRIM29. This gene acts like a “switch” that tells cancer cells to grow, spread to other parts of the body, and resist treatment. The team discovered that ATDC is found at high levels in most human bladder cancers. When ATDC levels are high, tumors are more likely to invade other tissues and spread. 

This made ATDC an important clue for identifying which bladder cancers were most dangerous and a potential target for new treatments. 

Why This Research Is Important 

The researchers believe that the amount of ATDC in a bladder tumor plays a big role in whether the cancer spreads and causes death. In this study, they took a closer look at how ATDC works and what processes it controls. By figuring this out, they hope to find weak spots in the cancer that doctors can target with new treatments. 

Final Report Summary

Bladder cancer is a common disease that can be very deadly, but doctors and scientists still don’t fully understand what makes it grow and spread so aggressively. One of the most dangerous forms of bladder cancer is called the “basal subtype”, which is more likely to spread and is especially hard to treat putting this patients had high risk of death. Right now, we don’t know enough about what causes this type to act the way it does. 

In this study, researchers discovered that a gene called ATDC plays a big role in how this aggressive cancer grows and spreads. They also found that another gene, called TP63, turns on ATDC and other harmful genes, making the cancer stronger and more likely to invade surrounding tissue. To study this process, the team created special 3D models that allow them to see how bladder cancer cells move and invade and are useful in the development of treatments to block this process. 

This research is important because it uncovers a new pathway that may be used to develop treatments for aggressive bladder cancer. It also points to possible “biomarkers,” or warning signs in the body, that could help doctors identify patients with the most dangerous forms of the disease and treat them more effectively. 

Palmbos, P. L., Wang, L., Yang, H., Wang, Y., Leflein, J., Ahmet, M. L., Wilkinson, J. E., Kumar-Sinha, C., Ney, G. M., Tomlins, S. A., Daignault, S., Kunju, L. P., Wu, X. R., Lotan, Y., Liebert, M., Ljungman, M. E., & Simeone, D. M. (2015). ATDC/TRIM29 Drives Invasive Bladder Cancer Formation through miRNA-Mediated and Epigenetic Mechanisms. Cancer research, 75(23), 5155–5166. https://doi.org/10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-15-0603

Yang, H., Palmbos, P. L., Wang, L., Kim, E. H., Ney, G. M., Liu, C., Prasad, J., Misek, D. E., Yu, X., Ljungman, M., & Simeone, D. M. (2015). ATDC (Ataxia Telangiectasia Group D Complementing) Promotes Radioresistance through an Interaction with the RNF8 Ubiquitin Ligase. The Journal of biological chemistry, 290(45), 27146–27157. https://doi.org/10.1074/jbc.M115.665489

None Reported as of August 2025

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