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Pancreatic test Pancreatic cancer diagnosed with urine test
In Germany there are more and more cases of pancreatic cancer. Since pancreatic tumors are often discovered late, the chances of recovery are low. A new urine test will help in the future to be able to diagnose the dangerous disease earlier.
Pancreatic cancer is usually diagnosed too late
For the most part, pancreatic cancer is asymptomatic for a long time and is therefore diagnosed late in many cases. When the classic symptoms such as jaundice, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, underweight, nausea and vomiting occur, often no treatment success can be achieved. According to the diagnosis less than five percent of those affected survive the next five years. In the past year, Swedish researchers have reported that they have developed a new screening system for this cancer in which a subsonic sound of cysts are performed in the organ along with a fluid examination. Scientists from the UK have now announced that in the future a simple urine test can detect pancreatic tumors in the early stages.
Urine test can detect pancreatic cancer. Picture: angellodeco - fotolia Metastases have often already formed at diagnosis
According to a news agency dpa, it is possible to identify the disease with a reliability of more than 90 percent based on three proteins in the urine. This is reported by a team led by Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic of the Queen Queen University of London in the journal "Clinical Cancer Research". The experts write that a previous diagnosis can significantly improve the currently very poor chances of recovery. Pancreatic tumors currently have a very poor prognosis. As a result, more than 40,000 people died of the disease in Europe in 2013. Among other things, this has to do with the fact that the tumors are usually discovered only at an advanced stage. The researchers report that more than 80 percent of patients receive the diagnosis only when the tumor has already spread to the organ or even metastasized. But then it is too late for surgery - the only chance of recovery so far.
Previous test is considered very unreliable
Currently the most common marker is the protein CA19-9 in the blood. The scientists emphasize, however, that the test was very unreliable. When they went looking for alternatives, they found the three proteins LYVE1, REG1A and TFF1 in the urine. Pancreatic cancer can be detected on the basis of these three proteins in stages I and II. In stage I, the tumors are smaller than two centimeters, in stage II larger, but still limited to the organ. The researchers tested the urine test on a total of 488 urine samples. 192 were from patients with pancreatic cancer, 92 from people with chronic inflammation of the organ (pancreas inflammation) and 87 from healthy people. The team also used 117 samples from patients with liver and gallbladder disease.
The procedure has to prove itself in larger studies
It was found that participants with pancreatic carcinoma had elevated levels of the three protein levels compared to healthy subjects. The test detected 93 percent of these patients in stages I and II. On the other hand, he also gave the all clear signal in 93 percent of the healthy participants. According to the study, the new procedure works best with the conventional blood test. It is said that with this combination, the hit rate in cancer patients rose to over 94 percent. All healthy people had inconspicuous values. However, the researchers emphasized that the procedure still needed to prove itself in larger studies. They hope to be able to develop a cost-effective test within a few years. "If we make a diagnosis earlier, we can greatly increase the chances of survival," says Crnogorac-Jurcevic. The authors write that nearly 70 percent of patients could survive for more than five years if the disease is detected at an early stage.
German expert is skeptical
However, Prof. Rienk Offringa from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) rates the study with skepticism. Even if it is a very careful investigation, it is still too early to judge the benefit. In particular, it is questionable how certain the test distinguishes between a carcinoma and an inflammation of the pancreas. "The results are still no reason for high hopes," said Offringa. According to the study authors, people whose family has already had the disease have an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Health experts also point out that alcohol habit, long-term smoking, severe overweight (obesity), diabetes, cystic changes and chemical pollutants also strongly favor the development of this cancer. (Ad)