Written for the Australian Private Hospitals Association (APHA), published in the PH News.

Researchers at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse (COBL) have discovered a ground-breaking method of detecting brain cancer with a simple test that can be done anywhere, any time.

Head of brain cancer research at COBL, Dr Kimberley Alexander, said catching a deadly and common form of brain cancer could be done with a simple urine test.

“A brain cancer diagnosis is not generally a good one and the most aggressive is what’s known as Glioblastoma (GBM),” she said.

“And that’s generally a death sentence, less than 5 per cent of people with that diagnosis survive less than 5 years. Most people last about 14 to 15 months from that diagnosis, and that’s with aggressive treatment.

“The time starts ticking really from that diagnosis and getting treatment as soon as possible, so a more rapid diagnosis is vital.”

Dr Alexander said one of the most difficult aspects of GBM was knowing if or when a tumour had returned following treatment, and that’s where the ground-breaking new test came in.

“Patients will have surgery, then treatment, and then have to go back for an MRI every few months, but often with the MRI you can’t tell if the tumour has responded to treatment, or returned,” she said.

“There’s lot of indecision, and unless there are drastic clinical symptoms, it’s hard to know whether to change treatment, or if no further treatment is needed, or if further neurosurgery is needed.

“In many cases, the patient can go in for further neurosurgery, only to find that it wasn’t needed.

“And neurosurgery is a pretty drastic procedure.”

Dr Alexander and her team have been able to detect brain cancer molecules in urine that accurately indicate the presence of a GBM tumour. The molecules decrease after treatment but increase again when a tumour reappears.

“These are very small particles, nanoparticles really, that are released by tumours in huge quantities,” Dr Alexander said.

“We’ve been able to capture them in surgical fluid, in blood, and we’ve been able to sequence the molecules to then use them as a surrogate for tumour indicators.

“The blood studies we’ve done have been highly accurate, and we thought well, ‘how do these particles get out?’ and it’s through the urine.

“We compared the urine of 24 GBM patients to the urine of those with no cancer indicators, and we were able to detect the molecules with 96 per cent accuracy.

“Cancer cells are hungry, they consume a lot and that produces a lot of waste, which comes out in a person’s urine.”

Dr Alexander said the numbers from the study were “very encouraging.”

“To have a better indicator of what might happen with a tumour is amazing – it will reduce patient and carer anxiety, and clinicians will have an extra test in their tool belt,” she said.

“And also, for patients who don’t live in the city, they don’t have to travel to somewhere with an MRI and the right specialist. Potentially, just wee into a bottle. We can easily collect large volumes, at minimal discomfort to the patient.

“And it’s particularly stable as well – blood needs to be tested within four hours, but for urine, it can be tested up to three days later.

“The sample collecting is straightforward, and it is an insight into a location in the body (the brain) that is pretty inaccessible.

“As a researcher, it’s amazing. And satisfying, and something that is long overdue for patients with brain cancer.”

Dr Alexander and her team are now seeking urgent funding to fast-track this research into clinical trials, with investigations also underway into whether this approach could be used to screen for other types of cancer.

“We’re so lucky here at Chris O’Brien Lifehouse to have community support, and the support of the foundation,” Dr Alexander said.

“We will be seeking more funding, and it’s important to note that while this study is specialised for GBM, it’s possible this could be applied more generally to other types of cancers, which really opens this up.”