Yinfa Ma, PhD, Curators’ Teaching Professor of chemistry at Missouri University of Science and Technology, has developed a new screening method that uses a urinalysis to diagnose breast cancer—and determine its severity—even before it can be detected with a mammogram. The clinical trial is ongoing at Mercy Breast Center in Springfield, Mo., and the researchers are actively seeking participants. “We hoping to analyze around 500 samples from women with confirmed but untreated breast cancer,” says Casey Burton, Dr. Ma’s research assistant. “Right now we are begging for more samples from women who have been referred to a breast cancer treatment facility, but that can be a scary time for them so it may be difficult to get them to consent.” Once they reach their goal of 500 testing samples, if this theory pans out, it could change breast cancer screening as we know it, and, ultimately, revolutionize testing for other cancers as well. More from Prevention:Do You Need That Mammogram? “This would be a 10-minute test where urine is collected during your annual physical and by the end of the check-up you’ll know the result,” says Burton. “Mammograms would then be used for follow up imaging, but would no longer be necessary for routine screening.” The method the researchers are developing uses a device called a P-scan to detect the concentration of metabolites called pteredines in urine samples. Pteredines are present in the urine of all humans, but abnormally high concentrations can signal the presence of cancer. Ma also believes the levels continue to rise as the cancer advances. Currently, the samples are tested manually, but part of the study involves developing a prototype for a more accurate P-scan that is highly sensitive to lower, more diluted quantities of pteredines. They hope to eventually develop a commercially available P-scan that would be affordable enough and simple enough to use that any doctor’s office or clinic could incorporate it into their every day practice. Pteredines have also been implicated in prostate, kidney, bladder, lung and other cancers. When this breast cancer study is completed, assuming they get the successful outcome they’re hoping for, they’ll start trying to detect other cancers in the same way. But for now, they need participants to move the research forward. If you’re interested, contact Adrianna Moore or Pearlena Hamlet at Mercy Breast Center at 417-820-8099. More from Prevention: Dense Breasts Effect Cancer Risk
