We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
LGC Clinical Diagnostics

Download Mobile App




Home Urine Collection for More Accurate Prostate Cancer Detection

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 09 Dec 2019
A standardized sampling system enables men being tested for prostate cancer to collect a urine sample at home and mail it to a laboratory for analysis.

Currently, patient urine samples are collected after a digital rectal examination (DRE) of the prostate, which was thought necessary to boost the levels of prostatic secretions in the urine. More...
The creators of the PUR (Prostate Urine Risk) test now report the development of a sampling system that provides indication of prostate cancer risk in urine samples collected at home, eliminating a visit to the clinic and the uncomfortable rectal examination.

The PUR test was established following evaluation of the cell-free expression of 167 genes in urine samples. Investigators at the University of East Anglia (Norwich, United Kingdom) identified a mathematical combination of 35 different genes that could be used to generate four prostate urine risk (PUR) signatures for predicting the probability of normal tissue (PUR-1), D'Amico low-risk (PUR-2), intermediate-risk (PUR-3), and high-risk (PUR-4) prostate cancer. Results revealed that application of PUR provided a net benefit over current clinical practice, since each PUR signature was significantly associated with its corresponding clinical category. Furthermore, PUR-4 status predicted the presence of clinically significant intermediate- or high-risk disease.

The investigators now describe an At Home Collection Kit that allows urine to be collected by patients at home and then posted to a laboratory for analysis by PUR methodology. The collection tubes contained a commercial preservative, which allowed samples to be maintained at room temperature without loss of RNA quality. A group of 14 participants were provided with an At Home Collection Kit, and instructions. Results of their home urine samples, taken first thing in the morning were compared to samples collected after a digital rectal examination.

At the laboratory, harvest of cell-free RNA using a novel high-volume vacuum extraction method increased total RNA yields, improved the detection sensitivity of prostate-cancer-specific transcripts by RT-PCR, and enabled extraction of RNA from historic frozen urine samples. Thus, RNA yields and quality were comparable to those for post digital rectal examination urine.

The investigators suggested that this method also has the potential to be adapted for the development of home-collection tests for bladder or kidney cancer.

Senior author Dr Jeremy Clark, a senior researcher at the University of East Anglia, said, "Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the United Kingdom. It usually develops slowly and the majority of cancers will not require treatment in a man's lifetime. However, doctors struggle to predict which tumors will become aggressive, making it hard to decide on treatment for many men. The most commonly used tests for prostate cancer include blood tests, a physical examination known as a digital rectal examination (DRE), an MRI scan or a biopsy. We developed the PUR test, which looks at gene expression in urine samples and provides vital information about whether a cancer is aggressive or “low risk”. Because the prostate is constantly secreting, the collection of urine from men's first urination of the day means that the biomarker levels from the prostate are much higher and more consistent, so this is a great improvement. Being able to simply provide a urine sample at home and post a sample off for analysis could really revolutionize diagnosis. It means that men would not have to undergo a digital rectal examination, so it would be much less stressful and should result in a lot more patients being tested."

The At Home Collection Kit for prostate urinalysis was described in the November 29, 2019, online edition of the journal BioTechniques.

Related Links:
University of East Anglia


Gold Member
Troponin T QC
Troponin T Quality Control
3-Part Differential Hematology Analyzer
Swelab Alfa Plus Sampler
New
Automatic Hematology Analyzer
LABAS F9000
New
Silver Member
Autoimmune Hepatitis Test
LKM-1-Ab ELISA
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








DIASOURCE (A Biovendor Company)

Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: CitoCBC is the world first cartridge-based CBC to be granted CLIA Waived status by FDA (Photo courtesy of CytoChip)

Disposable Cartridge-Based Test Delivers Rapid and Accurate CBC Results

Complete Blood Count (CBC) is one of the most commonly ordered lab tests, crucial for diagnosing diseases, monitoring therapies, and conducting routine health screenings. However, more than 90% of physician... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: A simple blood test could replace surgical biopsies for early detecion of heart transplant rejection (Photo courtesy of Shutterstock)

Blood Test Detects Organ Rejection in Heart Transplant Patients

Following a heart transplant, patients are required to undergo surgical biopsies so that physicians can assess the possibility of organ rejection. Rejection happens when the recipient’s immune system identifies... Read more

Pathology

view channel
These images illustrate how precision oncology Organ Chips recapitulate individual patients’ responses to chemotherapy (Photo courtesy of Wyss Institute at Harvard University)

Cancer Chip Accurately Predicts Patient-Specific Chemotherapy Response

Esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), one of the two primary types of esophageal cancer, ranks as the sixth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and currently lacks effective targeted therapies.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.