Breakthrough urine test can detect brain tumors early
The sooner cancer is diagnosed, the higher the chances of survival are for patients because treatment can start immediately. Doctors often look for markers that would confirm the presence of a tumor, but not all cancers are the same. Different biomarkers are used to detect different types of malignant growths in tandem with other tests to establish a correct diagnosis.
One type of tumor that’s difficult to catch early is brain cancer, as patients usually get a CT or MRI scan only after developing neurological symptoms. Doctors would recommend the scan to analyze the brain’s structure, at which point they’d detect and diagnose the abnormal tissue. Once the diagnosis arrives, it might be too late for surgery to completely remove the growth. In turn, this would reduce the patient’s chances of survival.
A team of scientists from the Nagoya University set out to fix this problem and discovered a breakthrough urine test that might significantly hasten brain cancer diagnoses and save lives.
According to a study published in Applied Materials & Interfaces (via Med Lifestyle), researchers at the Nagoya University researchers came up with a microRNA urine test that can detect brain cancer with 97% specificity.
MicroRNAs are small nucleic acid molecules that are released by different cells in bodily fluids such as blood and urine. The researchers focused on these tiny particles and developed a process for finding the molecules that could act as an early warning signfor brain tumors.
