Urine RNA test detects bladder cancer and predicts BCG response
A urine test called uRARE-seq picked up localized bladder cancer with 95% sensitivity at 90% specificity, according to a 2026 study of 683 urine samples from cancer patients and controls. The method reads cell-free RNA fragments. It outperformed urine tumor DNA analysis, and field-effect mutations did not affect it. It also detected minimal residual disease. In pretreatment urine from 114 patients, immune signatures in responders to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin set them apart from nonresponders. A biomarker built on that difference predicted response to BCG versus chemotherapy, with an area under the curve of 0.93.
Bladder cancer patients could gain a noninvasive way to guide treatment choice, but only if prospective studies confirm the result. The authors say those studies are still needed.
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