Urine test shows promise for detecting pancreatic cancer

People in Wales are less likely to have heard of pancreatic cancer than those living in other parts of the UK – despite having a higher chance of experiencing the disease, research has revealed.

“We’ve always been keen to develop a diagnostic test in urine as it has several advantages over using blood”.

Although there is no universal cause of pancreatic cancer, people at higher risk of developing the disease include those with a family history of pancreatic cancer, heavy smokers, the obese and people over 50 years with new-onset diabetes.

Meanwhile, scientists are also reporting that a new urine test may detect pancreatic cancer at an early stage.

The scientists settled on just three proteins after conducting proteomic analyses of 488 urine samples-192 from patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), 92 from patients with chronic pancreatitis, 87 from healthy volunteers, and 117 samples from patients with other benign and malignant liver and gall bladder conditions.

Researchers found that patients with pancreatic cancer had increased levels of each of these three proteins compared to healthy patients, so when combined, the proteins can detect stages I-II pancreatic cancer with accuracy of over 90 per cent. It is noteworthy to understand that if the pancreatic cancer will be uncovered at stage 1, the patient’s survival rate can reach as high as 60%.

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Early pancreatic cancers do not often present symptoms; the occurrence of symptoms usually means the disease has spread. This directed approach to therapy may help pancreatic cancer patients who were previously not candidates for surgery by reducing their tumor size and potentially providing a surgical option. “It’s an inert and far less complex fluid than blood and can be repeatedly and non-invasively tested”, said lead researcher Tatjana Crnogorac-Jurcevic, M.D., Ph.D.

Of those, only around 3 percent survive for five years, the lowest survival rate of any common cancer.

The urine tests, which researchers say are simple and cheap, could be available within the next few years.

Professor Nick Lemoine, co-author of the study, stated that the results could make a “big difference” in pancreatic cancer survival rates.

The scientists from the UK and Spain who developed the test hope that if its early promise is realised then it could be possible to diagnose patients much earlier and offer them treatment.

Maggie Blanks, CEO of the Pancreatic Research Fund, said, “This is an exciting finding and we hope to see this research taken forward into a much-needed early diagnostic test”.

And while some research has shown CA19-9 levels might be raised in patients up to two years before they’re diagnosed, it’s not yet accurate enough to use to diagnose patients.

“It’s hard to ignore the fact that there has been very little progress in treating the disease over the past four decades”, Flora Malein of Cancer Research UK said.