[Contribution of monoclonal antibodies within the framework of urothelial tumors of the bladder].

The advent of hybridoma technology has proved a major breakthrough in the field of tumor immunology and enables analysis at the molecular level of tumor heterogeneity. This approach seems particularly promising in urothelial tumors of the bladder and carries implications for diagnosis, prognosis and therapy of this disease. Two murine monoclonal antibodies (G4 and E7), obtained by xenogenic immunization of Balb/c mice with a human transitional carcinoma cell line (TCC) (647V) have proved especially useful. Use of a panel of monoclonal antibodies covering the entire spectrum of TCCs, most of which are already available, can be expected to result in significant modifications in the management of urothelial tumors. Advances in the field of monoclonal antibody technology may provide specific tools applicable to humans in vivo.