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Urine test accurately detects bladder cancer

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 11:32 CDT

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.

Source: REUTERS

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