New urine test using RNA can detect bladder cancer, including early-stage disease, researchers report

Bladder cancer may soon be detectable through a urine sample alone, with researchers developing a new test that analyses RNA molecules present in urine. The researchers succeeded in identifying bladder cancer with the test.

Notably, the test also proved effective in catching patients with early-stage cancer. The research has been published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.

Most liquid biopsy tests now used to detect cancer study DNA released into the blood by cancer cells. Maximilian Diehn and colleagues at Stanford University chose a different route, focusing on the analysis of RNA molecules linked to DNA. According to the researchers, RNA can reveal which genes are active in the body and what changes are actually taking place in cancer cells.

For the study, samples from 515 people, both cancer patients and healthy individuals, were tested. In identifying bladder cancer, the new technique caught 95 of every 100 patients. The test also gave signs of early-stage cancer.

The researchers also say the test can provide important information about the type of cancer and the risk of its recurrence. In their view, urine comes into direct contact with tumours in the bladder, which makes it useful for detecting the disease.

The researchers are now examining whether the same technique can be used to detect kidney and prostate cancers. That study is under way. They have also raised the possibility that a single urine test could eventually detect several kinds of cancer of the urinary tract.

However, the technique is still at the stage of preliminary research. Larger studies and medical trials are needed before it can be used in routine cancer screening. The research is being seen as an important step towards early detection of cancer through a less painful and relatively simple method.