Which gene is associated with urothelial carcinomas?

• A. MCM5
• B. NTRK
• C. EGFR
• D. APC

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that urothelial carcinomas show high cell proliferation, and certain genes reflect that proliferative activity. MCM5 encodes a component of the MCM2-7 helicase complex, which is essential for licensing DNA replication. When cells are rapidly dividing, as in many urothelial cancers, MCM5 expression rises, making it a characteristic marker of this cancer type. This link to how aggressively the tissue is proliferating is what makes MCM5 a meaningful association with urothelial carcinomas.

Other genes have roles in different contexts. NTRK is known for gene fusions seen in several distinct tumors; EGFR is a growth factor receptor implicated across many cancers but isn’t specific to urothelial carcinoma’s characteristic biology; APC is a tumor suppressor linked chiefly to colorectal cancer. So the association of MCM5 with urothelial carcinoma rests on its direct tie to the high proliferation seen in these tumors.