The following is a summary of “Role of URO17® in Diagnosis and follow up of bladder cancer patients,” published in the February 2024 issue of Urology by Ibrahim et al.

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of the urinary URO17® biomarker in detecting urothelial tumors in patients with haematuria and in identifying recurrence in those with non-muscle invasive bladder urothelial tumors. 

Two patient cohorts were examined: group I comprised individuals presenting with haematuria (n = 98), while group II consisted of patients with established non-muscle invasive bladder cancers undergoing routine cystoscopic follow-up (n = 51). Urine samples were collected from all participants before cystoscopy, during initial evaluation for haematuria, or as part of scheduled surveillance. 

These samples underwent standard urine cytology and URO17® biomarker immunostaining analysis. Statistical comparisons between biomarker findings and cystoscopic results were conducted using Chi-square analysis and Fisher’s exact test (P < 0.05). In group I, comprising 98 patients with an average age of 60 years, URO17® exhibited 100% sensitivity, 96.15% specificity, a negative predictive value (NPV) of 100, and a positive predictive value (PPV) of 95.83, with statistically significant results (P value < 0.001). Group II, consisting of 51 patients with an average age of 75 years, demonstrated a URO17® sensitivity of 85.71% and an NPV of 95.45. Among group II patients, 11 underwent scheduled Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) treatment, and 5 received Mitomycin C (MMC). 

Combining the results from both cohorts (n = 149) revealed statistically significant correlations between flexible cystoscopy outcomes and urinary URO17® and urine cytology results. These findings suggest that URO17® holds promise as a dependable diagnostic and monitoring tool for urothelial cancer patients, potentially serving as a valuable adjunct to flexible cystoscopy in screening protocols.

Source: bmcurol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12894-024-01426-7