Microsatellite Analysis of Urinary Sediment in Detecting Bladder Cancer

DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Group 1 (healthy volunteers): * No prior or concurrent urologic disease or devices * No genitourinary (GU) complaints, including urgency or frequency of urination * Normal urinalysis and urine cytology * Never smoked cigarettes regularly (i.e., ≥ 1 cigarette/day for ≥ 1 year) * No suspected exposure to environmental bladder carcinogens for \> 1 year, including, but not limited to, the following occupations or exposures: * Aluminum industry * Aromatic amines * Coal gasification * Coal tars and pitches * Coke plant * Dye industry * Leather industry * Machinist * Painter * Rubber industry * Truck, bus, or taxi drivers * Group 2 (participants with condition(s) that lead to false-positive urinary bladder cancer screening studies): * GU complaints requiring cystoscopy * No current GU malignancy * At least 1 of the following conditions: * Benign prostatic hypertrophy (International Prostate Symptom Score \> 12) * Foreign bodies (stones, stents, or catheters) * Hematuria (gross or microscopic) * GU infection (e.g., prostatitis, urinary tract infection, pyelonephritis, urethritis) within the past 3 months and completed treatment * No sign of infection at the time of study participation * Group 3 (superficial bladder cancer patients): * Histologically confirmed superficial bladder urothelial malignancy * Primary or recurrent disease * No nontransitional cell carc…