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Source: ONE News -
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Doctors have a new weapon in the fight against bladder cancer.
Dunedin-based Pacific Edge Biotechnology have developed a new test for bladder cancer which promises to be less invasive than the usual procedure.
Some tests for bladder cancer, like the cystoscopy examination, are enough to make your eyes water.
"A really intensive physical examination where you put a tube up the urethra, into the bladder and actually physically look around and try and find the disease," says Parry Guilford, Pacific Edge chief scientific officer.
Now Pacific Edge have created the CX bladder test, which has been developed after analysing tumors and samples from patients with bladder cancer.
"It's primarliy a detection test. We use five biomarkers, in a very small sample of urine, to determine whether or not the patient has cancer," says David Darling, Pacific Edge chief executive.
"It's more accurate than current tests, and will give doctors a new option in the fight against bladder cancer," he says.
A unique part of the process is the sampling kit. The patients urine sample is collected in a container. Then a vacuum assisted collection tube sucks the urine out, keeping the sample is safe and secure.
Urologists will then send their samples to a Pacific Edge lab where analysis is automated. Results will then be made available online.
However, the new CX bladder test will not do away with the cystoscopy test altogether.
"Cystosopy is really the golden standard and we don't anticipate we'd be able to replace that test. It's a very good test but it's also very invasive, obviously. So we hope to use our test alongside cystoscopy," says Guilford.
Urologist Peter Davidson says that the acceptance of the CX bladder test will depend on two factors.
"Firstly cost, and whilst thats likely to be initally high with widespread use, that will inevitably come down. The second thing that will determine acceptance is the performance of the test and that's still an unknown. The early results look optimistic," he says.
Pacific Edge will pitch the results to a meeting of urologist's in Australia next month.
