VEGFA and urinary bladder cancer: The association of common genetic variation in VEGF with bladder cancer risk is biologically plausible for several reasons: (1) VEGF has been identified as a critical factor in angiogenesis required for tumor growth, (2) VEGF expression in bladder tumors has been related to tumor progression [5], and (3) in vitro studies have suggested that common haplotypes in the 5′ region of VEGF alter gene expression [6].