Prostate cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths among men globally. In the United States, it holds the top spot as the most common cancer diagnosis among men. One of the persistent challenges in managing prostate cancer is the lack of exact biomarkers that can reliably detect early tumors.

Now, a collaboration between scientists from Sweden, the UK, and China has identified a promising set of new, precise biomarkers — found in a simple urine sample. Their groundbreaking findings, published in the journal Cancer Research, suggest that combining emerging biomedical technologies with AI could have a major impact on early cancer diagnostics, potentially far beyond just prostate cancer screening.

AI and Urine Samples Reveal Early Cancer

Early cancer diagnosis is crucial, but notoriously difficult, largely because reliable biomarkers that can be measured using routine clinical methods are still scarce. Part of the complexity lies in the biology itself: Tumors involve changes in interactions between thousands of genes, and these interactions can vary not just from patient to patient but even within different areas of the same tumor.

To tackle this challenge, the research team constructed digital models of prostate cancer, mapping the mRNA activity of all human genes across thousands of individual tumor cells. Importantly, they were able to pinpoint the position and severity of cancer within each cell.

They then used AI to sift through this massive amount of data, hunting for proteins that could serve as reliable biomarkers. These candidate biomarkers were subsequently analyzed in blood, prostate tissue, and urine samples from almost 2,000 patients.

What they found was promising: a set of biomarkers present in urine that indicated the presence and severity of prostate cancer with high precision. According to the researchers’ calculations, these markers even outperformed prostate-specific antigen (PSA), the blood biomarker currently used in clinical practice.

“There are many advantages to measuring biomarkers in urine,” said Mikael Benson, principal investigator of the study and researcher at Karolinska Institutet, Sweden, in a press statement. “It’s non-invasive and painless and can potentially be done at home. The sample can then be analyzed using routine methods in clinical labs.”

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Why Cancer Current Tests Fall Short

The current standard for prostate cancer screening relies heavily on a blood test that measures PSA levels. While elevated PSA levels can be a hint at prostate cancer, they can also result from rather harmless conditions like benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) or infections.

Screening does have the benefit of detecting cancers at an early stage, when treatment is often more effective. However, if either the PSA test or a follow-up exam is abnormal, it often leads to further procedures like a prostate biopsy.

But the PSA blood test has its flaws. It can produce false positives — abnormal results when no cancer is present — or false negatives, where cancer is present but goes undetected. Even when screening successfully finds prostate cancer, it’s not always clear whether the cancer is aggressive and needs treatment. This uncertainty sometimes leads to overdiagnosis and overtreatment, exposing men to unnecessary procedures and anxiety.

Next: Better Cancer Screening and Treatments

“New, more precise biomarkers than PSA can lead to earlier diagnosis and better prognoses for men with prostate cancer,” said Benson in the release. “Moreover, it can reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies in healthy men.” Following this study, large-scale clinical trials are already being planned as the next phase of the research.

Beyond the obvious applications, the researchers are hopeful that their findings can be extended beyond diagnostics. The same knowledge could help identify new drug targets, with the protein levels of these targets potentially serving as companion diagnostics to personalize overall cancer treatments.

If these urine biomarkers live up to their promise in future studies, earlier and more accurate prostate cancer screening could soon be as simple — and painless — as a trip to the bathroom.

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Article Sources

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Having worked as a biomedical research assistant in labs across three countries, Jenny excels at translating complex scientific concepts – ranging from medical breakthroughs and pharmacological discoveries to the latest in nutrition – into engaging, accessible content. Her interests extend to topics such as human evolution, psychology, and quirky animal stories. When she’s not immersed in a popular science book, you’ll find her catching waves or cruising around Vancouver Island on her longboard.