A simple test can predict bladder cancer's return

London: A team of researchers have developed a simple test that can predict returning of bladder cancer than the existing methods.

Researchers from the University Hospital of Lyon in France conducted a test on the urine of 348 bladder cancer patients for a faulty protein called TERT and found that the test was able to predict when the cancer was about to return in more than 80 per cent of patients.

The standard method, called cytology, detected the return in only 34 per cent of patients.

Professor Alain Ruffion, a researcher based at the University Hospital of Lyon's Oncology Institute said,"The standard cytology test needs a doctor to look down a microscope to read the results, but the TERT test is read by a machine which is simpler, more accurate and available to use straightaway."

According to the study, the new test detected bladder cancers that had not spread to the muscle wall, earlier than cytology, potentially helping doctors to start treatment sooner and before symptoms appear.

A further benefit is that the new test distinguished cancer from urinary tract infections.

Ruffion said,"While the TERT test costs slightly more than standard cytology, it is likely to become cheaper over time."

Ruffion added,"The fact that the test doesn't react to urinary tract infections is very interesting because it shows that it is robust and unlikely to give misleading results."

The study was published in the British Journal of Cancer.

(With IANS inputs)