Researchers have begun using a new diagnostic tool to detect prostate cancer in urine samples.
This may eliminate the need for the current diagnostic tools which use painful probes or the prostate-specific antigen exam, according to Healthline. They are hoping that in a decade this sort of diagnostic test will be the standard, and will help with diagnosing cancer as soon as possible.
The new prostate cancer test uses gas chromatography to identify volatile components of the urine. Due to the close proximity of the bladder and the prostate, the urine samples can be classified to highlight which patients have urological cancers.
“There is an urgent need to identify these cancers at an earlier stage when they are more treatable as the earlier a person is diagnosed the better,” said Dr Chris Probert, a professor at the University of Liverpool’s Institute of Translational Medicine.