Urine analysis for early and rapid diagnosis of cancer

Breast cancer can be diagnosed by urine analysis

ABC Magazine based on Newswise: Researcher Develops Technique to Detect Breast Cancer in Urine

A researcher from the University of Science and Technology of Missouri (Missouri University of Science and Technology) has developed a new screening technique that will detect breast cancer using urine analysis. According to the author of the technique, it will not only determine the severity of the disease, but will also be able to detect it better than mammography.

According to statistics, one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lifetime. At the same time, 85 percent of patients with breast cancer had no cases of this disease in the family. Therefore, screening and the earliest possible diagnosis of breast cancer are so important for any woman. Mammography is still the basis of its diagnosis, but this method does not always boast of high sensitivity.

Professor of Chemistry, Dr. Infa Ma (Yinfa Ma) has developed a device called P-scan, capable of detecting the concentration of certain metabolites in the urine – pteridines. These biomarkers are normally present in the urine of a healthy person, but with the development of cancer, their concentration increases sharply, since tumor cells divide faster than healthy ones and secrete more metabolites. At the same time, the more malignant the tumor is, the higher the concentration of pteridines.

P-scan is a device with a capillary tube through which urine enters the scanner. The pteridines isolated from it are passed through a light source, after which the researchers use a spectrophotometer to determine their exact amount. The analysis is simple, non-invasive and takes only 10 minutes. During the experimental testing, P-scan showed excellent results. Screening using this technique proved to be able to detect breast cancer even in cases where it was not detected during mammography.

Since April of this year, the device has been tested in a larger study involving patients at the Breast Cancer Treatment Center in Springfield. The study will last 1 year. If P-scan proves its effectiveness, the next step will be its FDA approval. After that, the test can enter into the standard procedure of clinical examination, which will not require much time from patients and doctors. The researchers also hope to optimize this technique for diagnosing other types of cancer from a urine sample.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru27.05.2013