New Test For Bladder Cancer May Save Lives A new urine test costing just £10 could diagnose bladder cancer at a much earlier stage, giving patients a better chance of survival. After trials on almost 500 patients showed the simple test is reliable, researchers are developing a dipstick, similar to a pregnancy test, that could be used by GPs. It would monitor people at the highest risk of the disease such as smokers. Professor Hardev Pandha, who works at the University of Surrey and led the research, told Sky News it could be available in as little as two years. "We know the earlier the detection and the earlier the treatment the better the outcomes," he said. Aggressive cancers require very early intervention. The research, published in the European Journal of Cancer, shows a protein called EN-2 is secreted by bladder cancer cells and can be reliably detected in urine. Just under 10,500 patients develop bladder cancer every year. Almost 5,000 die annually - more than the total number killed by skin, womb and testicular cancer. Morten Frisch was diagnosed only when he noticed large amounts of blood in his urine. By then the tumour was well advanced and had burst, and although surgeons removed it the cancer has returned. "If this test had been applied to me they would have picked up my bladder cancer at a much earlier date - no question," he said. The urine test could also be used to monitor patients after they have had treatment. Patients currently have a camera inserted into their bladder under general anaesthetic every three months. The checks are unpleasant and cost the NHS £100m a year. Matthew Perry, a surgeon and adviser to the charity Action on Bladder Cancer, says a good urine test could make a huge difference. "Any test we can use to screen early, that is easy and cheap to run and is not invasive, would be a bonus for us," he said. It's the holy grail for bladder cancer diagnostics at the moment. The researchers are carrying out further trials of the test. They hope it could be available in as little as two years.