Urine test that predicts pancreatic cancer early developed

Scientists have come up with a simple urine test that detects pancreatic cancer earlier than previous tests do.

In this new discovery, a signature “protein” was found only in people with the disease.

Pancreatic cancer is often very advanced by the time it is diagnosed – and only 3% of patients are alive five years after diagnosis.

Cancer charities welcomed the study, published in Clinical Cancer Research, saying a test was “much needed”.

Just under 9,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK every year. It has the lowest five-year survival rate of any common cancer and one that has barely improved in 40 years.

More than 80% of people with the disease are diagnosed when it has already spread, so they are not eligible for surgery to remove the tumour – currently the only potential cure.

Those at higher risk include people with a family history of the cancer, heavy smokers, obese people and people over 50 who are newly diagnosed with diabetes.

More research

The scientists from the UK and Spain who developed the test hope that if its early promise is realised then it could be possible to diagnose patients much earlier and offer them treatment.

There’s been little progress in improving survival for pancreatic cancer, and innovative approaches are needed

Fiona Osgun, Cancer Research UK

The research looked at almost 500 urine samples. Just under 200 were from patients with pancreatic cancer, 92 from patients with chronic pancreatitis and 87 from healthy volunteers.

The rest of the samples were from patients with benign and cancerous liver and gall bladder conditions.

Out of 1,500 proteins found in the urine samples, three – LYVE1, REG1A and TFF1 – were seen to be at much higher levels in the pancreatic cancer patients, providing a “protein signature” that could identify the most common form of the disease.

The signature was found to be 90% accurate.

Patients with chronic pancreatitis were found to have lower levels of the same three proteins.

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Category: Features, Technology & Devices