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15
Dec 2020
New urine test that can detect bladder cancer and proves 100% accurate in trials could soon be rolled out to patients
A ground-breaking urine test that can detect bladder cancer could soon be offered to patients after it proved 100 per cent accurate in trials.
The revolutionary liquid biopsy could replace the current dipstick test used by GPs as a preliminary check for the life-threatening condition.
The current tests check the urine for traces of blood, which can be a sign of bladder cancer. Patients who receive a positive test are referred for a number of procedures to gain a definitive diagnosis.
98 per cent of cases lead to a negative diagnosis, but because of its high accuracy rate, the new URO17 test could either rule out cancer or flag it up at the first stage, making further checks unnecessary.
Mr Nikhil Vasdev, chief investigator for the study and a urologist at East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, has said he believes the new test “could change the entire process of diagnosing bladder cancer”.
“If our study is correct, then this test is incredibly accurate and could help people escape the stress of a hospital trip for a cancer they don’t have.”
Over 10,000 people are diagnosed with the condition each year. If a GP believes that a patient may have the disease, recurrent bladder infections for example, then they undertake a dipstick test. If hidden blood is found in the urine, the patient is referred for a cystoscopy, where a camera probe is inserted into the bladder via the urethra, allowing them to look for abnormal changes that could signal cancer.
The URO17 test would spare patients from having this procedure, which, although carried out under a local anaesthetic, is often uncomfortable.
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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