Good news for early cancer diagnosis....Good news for early cancer diagnosis...Scientists have developed an extremely sensitive urine test that can identify patients with bladder cancer bladder cancer Malignant tumour of the bladder. The most significant risk factor associated with bladder cancer is smoking. Exposure to chemicals called arylamines, which are used in the leather, rubber, printing, and textiles industries, is another risk factor. , raising hopes the painful and invasive techniques currently in use may become unnecessary within the next few years. The test detects protein discovered only two years ago -- autocrine motility factor Autocrine motility factor is a cytokine and tumor marker. See also
• (AMF AMF ACE (Allied Command, Europe) Mobile Force AMF Autorité des Marchés Financiers (French) AMF Action Message Format AMF Arab Monetary Fund AMF Asian Monetary Fund AMF Autocrine Motility Factor ) -- which is secreted by cancer cells cells once believed to be peculiar to cancers, but now know to be epithelial cells differing in no respect from those found elsewhere in the body, and distinguished only by peculiarity of location and grouping. See also: Cancer and helps them spread to other sites in the body. In a study reported in the Oct. 5 JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE, the test detected all 22 patients with bladder cancer. It wrongly indicated a positive result in two of 27 patients without cancer. The researchers, led by Raouf Guirguis of the National Cancer Institute, say the test holds promise for detecting bladder cancer at stages early enough to allow successful treatment. Using a urine sample added to tumor cells, the test measures the cells' ability to pass through an artificial membrane An artificial membrane, also called a synthetic membrane, is a membrane prepared for separation tasks in laboratory and industry. Its active part, which permits selective transport of material, usually consists of polymers or ceramics, seldom glass or metals. . The researchers used a newly developed immunological assay for AMF to confirm the test results. They estimate it may take two years to fine-tune the test before large-scale clinical trials can begin. Each year, more than 46,000 people in the United States develop bladder cancer, which causes 10,000 deaths annually. |
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