Urine test could help monitor bladder cancer treatment

Researchers at UCL Cancer Institute have shown for the first time that immune cells found within the urine mirror those found in cancerous bladder tumours. This discovery could potentially help doctors to track patient responses to bladder cancer treatment in the future, in a quick and easy way with a urine test. In the study, published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine , researchers at the UCL Cancer Institute and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) have shown for the first time that immune cells in the urine of bladder cancer patients accurately reflect those in the tumour environment. Unexpectedly, the Cancer Research UK funded study, showed that immune cells found in the urine were more representative of the tumour than immune cells from the blood, suggesting that urine, rather than blood liquid biopsies, could help to more accurately monitor response to immunotherapy in patients. Immunotherapy has shown success in patients with advanced bladder cancer and is approved in the UK for certain patients. Despite this, only around a quarter of patients respond to immune checkpoint-targeting drugs, demonstrating a pressing need to better understand the immune landscape of bladder cancer and develop new therapeutics. The study, which was also supported by the National Institute for Health Research, looked at 32 patients with bladder cancer that had invaded the muscle wall.