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Scientists are working on a potential urine-based test to help detect ovarian cancer in its initial stages.
The scientists from Virginia Commonwealth University published their study in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. Next week in Philadelphia, they will also present their findings at the Biophysical Society Annual Meeting.
The researchers’ aim is for medical professionals to use this information, combined with CA-125 blood tests, transvaginal ultrasound, and family history, to provide early-stage detection, diagnosis, and treatment for ovarian cancer.
There are no screening tests that are available or useful for ovarian cancer, says Dr. Deanna Gerber, a gynecological oncologist at NYU Langone’s Perlmutter Cancer Center and an assistant professor of gynecology at NYU Langone Grossman School of Medicine-Long Island in New York who was not involved in the research.
As such, the majority of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at stages when they become symptomatic, says Gerber. This technology is exciting because anything that may increase our chances of detecting cancer at an earlier stage will certainly improve our chance of curing more ovarian cancers.
There are thousands of small particles, called peptides, in our urine and there are specific ones that signal ovarian cancer.
Presently, the techniques commonly used are not always straightforward or cost-effective to spot the molecules connected to ovarian cancer.
The researchers worked on a new method they say could more efficiently and accurately detect these peptides by using nanopore sensing, which has the potential to detect several peptides.
Nanopore sensing involves passing molecules through a small pore (nanopore) and measuring the changes in electrical current or other properties as the molecules move through.
The researchers identified and analyzed 13 peptides, including those derived from leucine-rich a-2 glycoprotein (LRG-1Trusted Source), a known biomarker in the urine of individuals with ovarian cancer.
According to the researchers, they now know what the signatures of the peptides look like and how they can be used to spot ovarian cancer at earlier stages than present tests can.
The science behind this is fascinating and seems very promising as a way to potentially notice ovarian cancer via urine, says Gerber. I think this gives some hope for cancer care providers and our patients that the scientific community is constantly looking to improve outcomes for gynecologic cancers. The final goal will always be to prevent cancer before it starts, but if we cannot do that, detecting it early will translate directly to improved outcomes and improved survival.
While the study has the potential to save lives, experts say there are still questions.
Although the research is promising, it is far from prime time as a screening or diagnostic test for ovarian cancer, says Dr. Diana Pearre, a gynecologic oncologist at The Roy and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in California who was not involved in the study.
I am positive about this technology eventually being able to aid us in helping notice ovarian cancer. Presently, the tests we use in our workup for ovarian cancer are pelvic ultrasounds and tumor markers (a blood test), says Pearre and presently there is no urine test to help in the workup for it.
This is still a far away from reaching patients in clinic on a wide scale and will likely need a proof-of-concept trial to determine its sensitivity in detecting a rare disease, she added.
However, it still offers a promising new avenue to aid in our workup of ovarian cancer if and when it becomes available to patients.
To my knowledge, nanopore technology is not being used for the detection or treatment of illness, but it is available in a very portable format for handheld genome sequencing, says Pearre.
According to the International Institute for Nanotechnology, Nanotechnology is not a product, but rather it is a process that uses the changes in the properties of a substance when examined at nanometer size.
It is a field not just about working with microscopic objects but about capitalizing on the unique and changing properties of nanoscale materials to create solutions to the issues.
Nanotechnology is the new frontier not only for diagnostic purposes but for therapeutic utilization as well, says Dr. Kecia Gaither, an OB/GYN and expert in maternal fetal medicine as wellas the director of Perinatal Services/Maternal Fetal Medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Lincoln in the Bronx. It has been used in the diagnosis of other types of cancers, infectious entities, and dermatological issues as examples. I am quite positive about its utilization in the diagnosis of ovarian cancer by what is a noninvasive simple procedure as opposed to the operative invasive methodologies generally used now in the diagnostic cascade for ovarian cancer, says Gaither, who was not involved in the research and I expect there is likely to be an explosion of the use of nanotechnology for the diagnosis and treatment of other sicknesses in the near future.
