Promising clinical trials aims to detect bladder cancer via a quick liquid biopsy test

Bladder cancer is the 10th most common form of cancer worldwide in both genders and appears as sixth most common cancer in men, with a respective incidence and mortality rates of 9.6 and 3.2 per 100,000 in men. In 2018, more than half a million people were diagnosed with bladder cancer and 200,000 died from the disease. The majority of bladder cancer patients present a painless macroscopic hematuria at diagnosis.

Patients with haematuria are often faced with a difficult decision – to undergo cystoscopy which is the current gold standard for diagnosis of bladder cancer to confirm the diagnosis and evaluate the extension of the disease in the case of a suspected lesion. The treatment options available for bladder cancer depend on risk stratification and the degree of muscle invasion. The follow-up for patients diagnosed with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (pTa, pT1 high-grade and carcinoma in-situ stages) includes urinary cytology and cystoscopy at three to six-month intervals for the first two years, and at six months thereafter until five years, and then yearly.

BioCheetah is changing the paradigm towards the use of new methodology with the use of novel biomarkers in the diagnosis and follow-up of patients through cost-effective, non-invasive procedures that will help surpass the current limitations of bladder cancer initial detection and surveillance. The follow-up of bladder cancer patients can greatly benefit from non-invasive tests that not only allow screening of recurrence, but also predict response to therapy.

Promising clinical trials led by BioCheetah have commenced internationally that will help patients who are faced with a difficult choice of diagnosis and surveillance options. The clinical trial is developed to validate the diagnostic accuracy of our urinary immunodiagnostic test kits of urinary test and the creation of alternatives to cystoscopy and/or urine cytology for the diagnosis of bladder cancer using the novel biomarkers. The company is currently running clinical trials with hospitals in Singapore, China, France and it has anticipated that the trials will be completed in Quarter 1 2021.

We are on the way towards reliable biomarkers and assays to be used in non-invasive settings, which are needed for earlier diagnosis of bladder cancer and early detection of recurrence, particularly in low-grade and low-stage bladder cancer. The company hopes to demonstrate the efforts to generate a test that will improve patients’ life quality in the near future.

For more information, please get in touch with the BioCheetah Team by emailing enquiry@biocheetah.com