Solvent exposure, genetic susceptibility, and risk of bladder cancer.

The New England Bladder Cancer Study (NEBCS) has recently reported an increased bladder cancer risk with occupational exposure to mononuclear aromatic organic solvents, including exposure to benzene, toluene, and xylene and their combination BTX. However, the mechanisms by which BTX influence bladder cancer are unclear. Here, we evaluated the interaction between BTX and genetic markers in known bladder cancer susceptibility loci and in variants shown to impact the metabolism of these solvents.