Improving early detection and clinical management of bladder cancer

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has released a new IARC Evidence Summary Brief, titled “Improving Early Detection and Clinical Management of Bladder Cancer”, in which researchers from IARC and partners argue for the validation of a simple and cost-effective urine test that could significantly improve early detection and management of bladder cancer, including among high-risk populations.

Bladder cancer is the 10th most common cancer type worldwide. Every year, over 500 000 people are diagnosed with bladder cancer worldwide and more than 200 000 people die from this disease. Its diagnosis relies on cystoscopy, an invasive and expensive procedure that might not be easily accessible in low-resource settings.

IARC has developed a urine assay that detects mutations in the promoter of the TERT gene (uTERTpm) and has shown its excellent performance for the detection of bladder cancer in urine samples in two independent studies. The detection of this biomarker is simple and non-invasive and could provide a cost-effective tool to improve both early detection of bladder cancer and monitoring of recurrence. It may also open new avenues for screening of high-risk populations (smokers and workers exposed to bladder carcinogens).

To download the Brief, visit International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) website