Urine test accurately detects bladder cancer

CHICAGO (Reuters) – A simple and accurate urine test can
detect bladder cancer early and may be especially useful for
smokers and others prone to the disease, Italian researchers
reported on Tuesday.

The test for the enzyme telomerase in urine was found to be
accurate 90 percent of the time in men, after the cancer
diagnoses were confirmed with standard invasive examinations of
the bladder and urinary tract. The test also detected the
disease in early stages.

When bladder cancer — which afflicts 60,000 Americans
annually and kills 20 percent of patients — is caught early,
treatment is usually more effective, researchers from
Morgagni-Pierantoni Hospital in Forli, Italy, wrote in the
Journal of the American Medical Association.

Despite the demonstrated accuracy of the test in a small
study of 218 male patients, the researchers said further study
is needed for what is a promising diagnostic tool.

“It is not recommended for use in routine screening
programs because of the low incidence of bladder cancer, and
should be aimed at high-risk sub-groups. Specifically, smokers
have about a three-fold increased risk of developing bladder
cancer compared to nonsmokers,” study author Maria Aurora
Sanchini wrote.