Researchers at Stanford Medicine, the VA Palo Alto Health Care System and partner institutions developed uRARE-seq, an experimental test that looks for RNA messages shed by tumor cells into urine.
In 683 urine samples from patients and healthy volunteers, the test identified 95 percent of localized bladder cancer cases and correctly returned a negative result for 90 percent of people without the disease. It also detected signs of remaining disease after surgery and immunotherapy.
The researchers found RNA patterns that may help predict whether a tumor is more likely to respond to immunotherapy or chemotherapy. The study appeared in Nature Medicine on October 2.
The test is not approved for clinical use. Larger, prospective studies at multiple centers are planned, and cystoscopy remains the standard approach for bladder cancer diagnosis and monitoring.
