HGF and urinary bladder carcinoma: Angiogenesis plays a key role in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer: microvessel density is a prognostic indicator in invasive bladder cancer (Bochner et al, 1995; Jaeger et al, 1995), expression of the angiogenic factors bFGF (basic fibroblast growth factor), TGFβ (transforming growth factor β), midkine, and HGF (hepatocyte growth factor) is elevated in patients with bladder cancer (reviewed in Jones and Fujiyama, 1999) and VEGF expression is predictive of stage progression and relapse in superficial tumours (Crew et al, 1997).