Brain tumours detected via urine samples for first time

A SIMPLE urine test has been developed that can detect signs of a common brain tumour.

Researchers hope it can eventually be used to screen people who are at high risk of gliomas, which affect about 4,000 people in the UK every year.

Michelle Mitchell, the chief executive of Cancer Research UK, believes the early findings could be refined and turned into widely used tests “within the next decade”.

The glioma test focuses on a specific form of DNA called CFDNA which is produced by cancerous glial cells when they die. They surround axons in the brain and support the functioning of our nervous system.

Researchers have long known that circulating CFDNA is a telltale sign of a glioma but have been unable to develop a sophisticated test.

The Cancer Research UK team built two methods to target the elusive tumour-derived DNA and recruited eight patients who had been identified as possibly having a glioma by an MRI.

Participants gave blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid samples to the researchers and also had a biopsy.

This test was geared to look for specific mutations and picked up 63 per cent of cancers via urine, and 83 per cent from blood.

Scientists in the study also took fluid samples from 88 people – 35 with glial cancer – and used a computer algorithm to scour the genetic code for signs of mutations. This method was cheaper to perform than a biopsy but found to be less accurate.

“We believe the tests we’ve developed could in the future be able to detect a returning glioma earlier and improve patient outcomes,” said Dr Richard Mair, from Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute.

Currently, MRI scans every three months are the only way to see if a highrisk patient is suffering with a new or returning glial tumour, and the wait between scans can be stressful.

“Talking to my patients, I know the three-month scan becomes a focal point for worry,” said Dr Mair.

“If we could offer a regular blood or urine test, not only will you be picking up recurrence earlier, you can also be doing something positive for the patient’s mental health.”

Brain tumour patient Sue Humphreys of Walsall, West Mids, said: “If these tests are found to be as accurate as the standard MRI for monitoring brain tumours, it could be life changing.”

The study was published in the journal

‘If these tests are found to be as accurate as an MRI it could be life changing’