Urine test can spot more than nine in 10 bladder cancers

A urine test, trialled by the NHS, can detect over 90% of bladder cancer cases, according to recent research. Conducted by the University of Birmingham in collaboration with diagnostics firm Nonacus, the study involved nearly 1,000 patients from seven hospitals across England and Scotland. The test identifies genetic material shed into urine by bladder cancer and checks for over 450 DNA mutations linked to the disease across 23 genes.

While the test is not a substitute for cystoscopies, it could help identify patients at higher risk for more urgent procedures. The trial found that a negative result indicated a greater than 99% chance of no bladder cancer. If successful on a larger scale, the test could spare tens of thousands of patients each year from invasive cystoscopies, which currently number over 300,000 annually in the UK.

Prof Richard Bryan, a co-author of the study, expressed excitement at the test's promising early performance. Michelle Mitchell, from Cancer Research UK, emphasized the need for faster, less invasive diagnostic methods, given the current delays in bladder cancer diagnoses.