JERUSALEM, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Israeli researchers have found a new way to detect bladder cancer in its early stages, which could also lead to treatment for the fatal disease, the Bnai Zion Medical Center reported Tuesday.
The goal of the research, conducted by the medical center in cooperation with the Israel Institute of Technology (Technion), was to find signs of recurrence of bladder cancer in a noninvasive urine sample.
The study, published in the journal Urologic Oncology, found that a protein molecule called semaphorin is secreted to urine in increased amounts in bladder cancer patients, as opposed to people without cancer.
Bladder cancer has a common malignancy and tends to recur in about 70 percent of patients despite full treatment. Therefore, it is important to monitor early detection of tumor recurrence.
Early detection allows conservative treatment and may prevent the penetration of the lesion and the need for radical and even chemotherapy treatment.
