Urine Test Helps Diagnose Bladder Cancer

Bladder cancer is the seventh most common type in the UK, with around 10,000 people diagnosed every year and around two-thirds of cases recur within five years, so patients are monitored routinely after treatment.

Patients with bladder cancer are currently tested and monitored via an invasive cystoscopy examination, which involves passing a thin device through the urethra, the tube which carries urine out of the body, to examine the inside of the bladder.


Clinicians at Southampton General Hospital (UK) are set to lead a pioneering UK study into the use of a urine test that could help to diagnose bladder cancer. The team will recruit around 40 patients who have been diagnosed with the disease to participate in the trial. They will take urine samples from patients before treatment begins and at every follow-up appointment over a six-month period.

The test works by detecting a protein known as minichromosome maintenance complex component 5 (MCM5), which is shed into urine by bladder and prostate tumors. The MCM5- enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed by Arquer Diagnostics Ltd. (Sunderland, UK). A recent successful screening trial involving 350 hematuria patients indicated that the MCM5-ELISA test has a sensitivity of 83%, a specificity of 77% and negative predictive value of 98%.

Tim Dudderidge, MB ChB, MSc, FRCS, the principal investigator, said, “There is currently an unmet need for a test that would allow for more screening and enable earlier detection of bladder cancer. At present, patients are referred to hospital to undergo a cystoscopy examination which involves using local anesthetic and can be very uncomfortable for patients. The MCM5-ELISA test has the potential to provide patients with a simple and noninvasive solution for screening and for the detection of recurrence for the first time and we are pleased to be part of such an exciting development.”

Related Links:
Southampton General Hospital 
Arquer Diagnostics Ltd.