Lung cancer detection using urine

A technique for the early diagnosis of lung cancer is urgently needed. Tumor cells alter the composition of urine. Chemical analysis of the urine of a patient in the future may be the way to lung cancer at an early stage to detect.

Lung cancer is the most deadly form of cancer. Worldwide, 1.3 million people die annually from the disease. An operation can save the lives of lung cancer patients, but treatment must be carried out before a tumor has spread further throughout the body. The disease has little in the early stages symptoms. Thus, only one fourth of lung cancers detected in time to be eligible for such surgery. There is a great need for techniques to early diagnosis of the disease possible.

The spotty structures visible in this picture indicate lung cancer. Image: © Wikimedia Commons


Making CT scans of all patients who are at high risk for lung cancer is one of the options. Studies in large patient groups is ongoing, but already it is clear that a CT scan alone is not sufficient for an early diagnosis. At 5 to 26 percent of smokers at high risk for lung cancer are structures visible in the lungs. Poor in 4 percent of cases actually a dangerous tumor. When should a structure that is visible on a CT scan and removed when not? That you can easily test in the future.
Blood, urine and exhaled air

Volatile organic fabrics provide important health information. Many species can use the signature scent of dust that read how a fellow feels. In a patient with lung cancer tumor cells themselves produce volatile organic dust or dust particles that are released because the tumor metabolism of the lungs is confused kicks. Volatile organic fabrics will include end in blood and expired air, and therefore they are to detect. Israeli researchers have developed last August an electronic nose that dust particles in the exhaled air detects.

An electronic nose can be volatile organic dust particles in exhaled air and thus detect lung cancer detection. The same fabrics show in urine of patients would be even easier.


Even easier would be to the volatile organic fabrics to show in the urine of patients. Urine can be collected and stored more easily than exhaled air. Moreover, it is easy to determine the composition of urine. New research shows that urine is also a source of volatile organic dust and chemical analysis that both animals and the presence of dust that can demonstrate.
Sensitive test

The study was conducted by Koichi Matsumura Monell Chemical Senses Center of America. Matsumura trained in laboratory mice at two different cell lines of lung cancer. Then he let the mice loose in kind which the members had the disease. The trained mice to make a clear distinction between sick and healthy animals. It does not matter which of the two cell lines rodents trained. Apparently produce both types of lung cancer similar organic substances that are easily detected by mice.

What can mice, a chemical analysis, must have thought Matsumura. Using chemical profiles of the urine of infected animals, he determined that volatile organic fabrics useful for the diagnosis of lung cancer. The test that he eventually developed was sensitive enough, within a group of 50 mice, 47 animals properly be designated as sick or healthy. The test has a major drawback: it can only detect one form of lung cancer. Matsumura has not yet been able to find organic fabrics by tumor cells generally produced.

Urinalysis in the laboratory. Image: © Wikimedia Commons


Before the urine test for lung cancer is actually at the doctor, still has a few things happen. At what stage of the disease is for example possible to volatile organic fabrics used as a diagnosis? How is such a sensitive and specific tests in human patients? And is it possible to test different types of lung cancer can detect? In future research also tries to answer these questions Matsumura.