New Test can Detect Bladder Cancer Sooner and More Accurately Than Other Methods

Plainview, NY (PRWEB) November 14, 2005

A new bladder cancer detection test approved by the FDA earlier this year has been shown to detect the presence of genetic changes in cells from the bladder isolated from urine – a key indicator of bladder cancer – up to six months sooner than other methods, and with up to 95% accuracy. Researchers believe that the new test, called UroVysionTM, from Abbott, may help increase early detection rates for bladder cancer, which is frequently diagnosed in its later stages, making it more difficult to treat.

“Bladder cancer is often discovered after it has progressed past Stage I, simply because we did not have tests sensitive enough to detect the presence of DNA changes or cancerous cells in the earliest stage,” explains Dr. George Hollenberg, M.D., a leading NY-area pathologist and founder of Acupath Laboratories. “The UroVysionTM Bladder Cancer Test Kit allows the cytogeneticist and pathologist to visualize those cellular changes at the first sign something may be wrong; and, as we all know, early detection can be the key to a positive outcome,” Dr. Hollenberg adds.

According to the American Cancer Society, men are three times more likely than women to develop Bladder Cancer. Since men are often less likely to seek medical attention when a symptom first arises because of apprehension about invasive tests, Dr. Hollenberg believes UroVysionTM may help encourage more early-stage patients to undergo testing sooner, rather than later. “UroVysionTM is completely non-invasive, and simply requires a urine sample,” he explains. “This has become the frontline test for Bladder Cancer, and the hope is that primary doctors and urologists will discuss the benefits of this simple, accurate test with their patients who are in an at-risk category.”

The American Cancer Society reports that those at risk for Bladder Cancer include:

-Smokers or oral tobacco users

-Men

-Those over 60 years old

-Those exposed to pollution, chemicals or hazardous materials

-Those treated with radiation for previous cancers

-Those with a family history of the disease

In the UroVysionTM test cells from the lining of the bladder are isolated from voided urine. Using the technology know as FISH (Fluorescence in situ Hybridization), fluorescent dye-tagged DNA probes are applied to these cells. The cytogeneticist or pathologist can then examine the cells for the presence of certain chromosomal abnormalities that have been linked to Bladder Cancer.

The test can be used to detect Bladder Cancer initially, to monitor a patient’s response to therapy during Bladder Cancer treatment, and to identify a recurrence in Bladder Cancer patients who are in remission. “It is only after a diagnosis is confirmed non-invasively through UroVysionTM that additional procedures like cystoscopy are used to collect more specific information,” Dr. Hollenberg notes. He encourages men (and women who account for 25% of new cases of Bladder Cancer each year), to ask their doctors about UroVysionTM if they fall into any of the ACS’s high-risk groups above, or if they experience any of the following symptoms:

-Blood in urine

-Urgency to urinate

-Pain in back or flank (although pain is not always present)

The American Cancer Society estimates that 63,000 new cases of Bladder Cancer will be diagnosed this year alone, and that 16,000 of those cases will be in the advanced stages at diagnosis. What’s more, Bladder Cancer is one of the most highly-recurrent cancers. About 50% of Bladder Cancer patients – close to 400,000 people in the U.S. today – will experience a recurrence of their disease within two years of diagnosis, according to the ACS. The ACS estimates that 13,000 patients will die of the disease this year alone.

About Dr. George Hollenberg

Dr. George Hollenberg, M.D. is an authority in the fields of pathology, clinical pathology and dermatopathology with expertise in the areas of dysplastic nevi, melanoma, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer. Board-certified in Pathology and Dermatopathology, Dr. Hollenberg is a Fellow of the College of American Pathologists, The American Society of Dermatopathology and the AMA. He has published articles on skin, prostate and gastrointestinal cancer, and is the Consultant in Dermatopathology to The North Shore University Hospital Center. As the founding director of Acupath Laboratories, Inc., Dr. Hollenberg supervises the analysis of tens of thousands of biopsies per year, using the latest cutting-edge technology in histology and immunocytochemistry, as well as the latest advances in computerized report preparation. http://www.acupath.com.

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