N-Acetyltransferase phenotypes in the urinary bladder carcinogenesis of a low-risk population.

N-Acetyltransferase phenotypes were measured in 228 patients with tumours of the urinary bladder and 100 non-cancer controls. 63.6% of the patients and 54.0% of the controls were slow acetylator phenotypes (p less than 0.10). In general, 65% of bladder tumour patients and 59% of controls are slow acetylators (p less than 0.025). N-Acetyltransferases are involved in the metabolism of carcinogenic arylamines and thus could be an important factor in interindividual susceptibility to these agents.