Better Test for Bladder Cancer
Reported February 16, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Researchers say there is now a more dependable, less expensive test to detect bladder cancer earlier.
Researchers at The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston tested the NMP22 tumor marker assay in 1,331 patients at high risk for bladder cancer. They found that of the 79 patients shown to have bladder cancer, the test was about three-times more effective than a conventional laboratory test.
Although researchers say the test is easy and may save lives, they caution it should not be used alone to detect bladder cancer. In order to provide an accurate diagnosis, it should instead be combined with a bladder examination called a cystoscopy, which uses a flexible endoscope to examine the bladder.
Researchers say, “No single procedure is 100-percent sensitive, so a combination of procedures is recommended.” In the study, the NMP22 test was more sensitive, but cytology was more specific, meaning the number of false-positives was higher for the NMP22 test. Still, researchers say, “The high specificity of cytology is offset by low sensitivity, ambiguous test results, expense, and lag time to obtain reports.”
Researchers say their findings are advances in screening bladder cancer, the fifth-most common cancer in the United States. Tobacco use is the most common risk factor, which researchers say accounts for about half of the cases.
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2005;293:810-816
