A novel bladder cancer urinary biomarker: can it go where no marker has gone before?
In their recent publication in BJUI , Pichler et al . (1) report the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert BC Monitor, a biomarker combining the measured expression of 5 mRNAs (ABL1, CRH, IGF2, UPK1B & ANXA10) in voided urine. The study evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of the assay in 140 patients with a known history of NMIBC. White light cystoscopy and urine cytology were the diagnostic gold standard. Within this cohort, 43 patients (30.7%) were found to have a tumor recurrence.
EDITOR—Paterson wrote about the unnecessary burden placed on patients with newly diagnosed cancer in discussing cancer registration.1 Patients are shocked at the diagnosis of cancer and have to work hard to get to grips with the news and its implications. When their participation is appropriate in treatment decisions—for example, in early stage breast cancer—they need to urgently understand the issues as treatment …