Urine RNA test spots localized bladder cancer with 95% sensitivity
A urine test that reads cell-free RNA detected localized bladder cancer with 95% sensitivity at 90% specificity, a Nature Medicine study reports. The method, called uRARE-seq, was applied to 683 urine samples from patients with cancer and controls. It outperformed urine tumor DNA analysis. It also detected minimal residual disease and distinguished complete molecular responses after surgery from those after intravesical BCG. In pretreatment urine from 114 patients, immune and proliferation-related RNA signatures predicted response to BCG versus chemotherapy, with an area under the curve of 0.93. The authors said prospective studies are needed.
Urine cell-free RNA looks like a promising noninvasive biomarker for bladder cancer, though prospective studies are needed to assess its clinical utility.
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