A new urine test could help detect bladder cancer before symptoms start, according to a recent study.
Bladder cancer is the tenth most common cancer worldwide and the fourth most prevalent among men. Malignant bladder cancer can spread quickly and can unfortunately be life threatening. Early detection can drastically improve the outcome, with survival rates much higher in turn.
And to help catch the cancer quickly, a new urine test named UroAmplitude can be used to detect 10 specific genes that could predict the presence of the disease in your bladder, according to a collaborative study involving French, Iranian, and American scientists.
Developed by Convergent Genomics, a spin-out company of the Oregon Health & Science University, UroAmplitude could be used to effectively predict bladder cancer 12 years prior to diagnosis.
Findings were shared at the European Association of Urology (EAU) annual Congress following 10 years of tracking more than 50,000 participants who all provided urine samples upon joining the study.
A total of 40 people included in the study developed bladder cancer within the 10 years of research, with teams testing urine samples from 29 of these participants along with samples from around 100 similar participants as controls.
Of the 29 subjects who developed bladder cancer, the urine test accurately predicted future bladder cancer in 19 (66 per cent), even though samples were collected up to 12 year prior to diagnosis.
Further, 14 of those diagnosed were within seven years of providing their urine sample, with the test predicting the cancer in 12 (86 per cent).
Researchers now aim to make UroAmplitude a new standard in defining the risk prognosis for urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer) patients.
What are the symptoms of bladder cancer?
Blood in your urine is the most common symptom of bladder cancer, according to the NHS.
Medically named haematuria, blood in the urine is usually painless. The presence of blood may mean your urine looks a brown colour, with the blood often going unnoticed as it can come and go.
Other, less common symptoms of bladder cancer include:
- a need to urinate on a more frequent basis
- sudden urges to urinate
- a burning sensation when passing urine
Symptoms will often increase in severity if bladder cancer reaches an advanced stage and has spread. The NHS states that signs of this may include.
- pelvic pain
- bone pain
- unintentional weight loss
- swelling of the legs
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