The earlier you diagnose it, the more effective the treatment will be. This is the valid rule for all types of cancer, and bladder cancer is definitely not an exception. Of course this is by far not an easy task.
In the latest edition of The Journal of the American Medical Association, a group of Italian researchers reports on a new urine test to detect bladder cancer.
Reuters writes:
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.
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.
Read the abstract of this study…
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