Noninvasive Assay Developed for Breast Cancer Diagnosis from Urine

Researchers have pilot-tested the feasibility of detecting breast cancer (BC)-specific microRNA expression patterns in patient urine samples and have for the first time demonstrated a proof-of-principle for this novel gene-expression profile assay of BC-specific biomarkers in urine.

Researchers led by Prof. Dr. Elmar Stickeler of the University Medical Center Freiburg (Freiburg, Germany) developed the new approach by measuring concentrations of microRNAs that are often dysregulated in cancer cells and that pass through the blood into the urine. Using a realtime-PCR assay to measure urinary expression levels of 9 BC-associated miRNAs, the proof-of-principle study compared 24 healthy volunteer controls with 24 women recently diagnosed with BC (untreated, primary BC patients). Significant differences were found in the expression levels of 4 BC-associated miRNAs (1 expressed at higher, 3 expressed at lower levels than in healthy controls). Statistical analysis showed that these combined differences distinguished the BC patients from healthy controls with high accuracy.

If its effectiveness is validated in further studies with larger cohorts, this approach would offer specific discrimination between healthy women and primary BC patients and would thereby support the use of urine-based microRNAs as BC biomarkers for earlier diagnosis as well as for monitoring treatment.

The study, by Erbes T, et al, was published March 28, 2015, in the journal BMC Cancer.

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