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Breast cancer will be detectable in urine in the future
Breast cancer may be detected in the future using a simple urine test. Researchers at the University of Freiburg and the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed an approach to detect breast cancer using urine samples. Their results were published in the journal "BMC Cancer".
Based on recent studies demonstrating breast cancer via so-called micro RNA in blood tests, the researchers investigated whether certain patterns of urinary microRNA can be used as innovative biomarkers for the detection of breast cancer. They were able to identify specific profiles that detected breast cancer at over 90 percent accuracy. The molecules in the urine gave them information about breast cancer.
Special micro RNA profiles indicate breast cancer
In the study, the scientists examined the urine of 24 healthy volunteers and 24 breast cancer patients who had not been treated before. They identified special micro-RNA compositions that indicate a disease. "Significant differences in the expression of four breast cancer-associated microRNAs were found," the researchers report. Thus, the concentration of "miR-155" in the urine of breast cancer patients had been significantly increased and, in contrast, the breast cancer patients had a significantly lower expression of "miR-21", "miR-125b" and "miR-451" than the healthy ones women. Based on the four micro-RNAs, breast cancer can be detected with high accuracy ...
New method for breast cancer diagnosis?
The researchers conclude that a breast cancer diagnosis based on micro RNA profiles is clearly possible. For this purpose, the analysis of the expression of four detectable in the urine micro-RNA is sufficient. The clear patterns provide the opportunity for a distinction between healthy women and breast cancer patients, the researchers write. Thus, the study of micro RNA in urine is a non-invasive innovative method for breast cancer diagnosis and possibly also suitable as an early detection tool. (Fp)