Japanese startup test kit shows promise in early cancer detection
A urine-based cancer risk screening kit developed by a Japanese startup is showing promise in detecting cancer at the earliest stage using non-invasive means.
The test kit from Craif Inc., a spin-off from Nagoya University founded in 2018, can also be used to assess simultaneously whether a person is at risk from any of up to seven types of cancer.
The product, which does not require a blood test, was able to detect changes in pre-malignant cells among residents of Hokkaido towns in northern Japan to whom the company distributed 100 sets of the "miSignal" test kit free of charge in the year through March 2025.
"We were able to detect and treat cancer that was difficult to find by X-ray," said Tatsuya Kato, a professor at the Hokkaido University Hospital, adding the kits would be vital in places such as Hokkaido, where medical resources are sparse.
The kit can be used to detect microRNA, a biomarker known for its link to early cancer biology, in a small amount of urine and help screen the risks of cancer in the lungs, colon and pancreas, among others.
Results of the survey using the test kits were announced at an annual meeting of the Japanese Association for Chest Surgery in May.
Among those aged 60 or older who had not taken a lung cancer test for five years or more, a tumor was detected in the lungs of a woman in her 60s that led to a detailed examination and successful surgery. The tumor was diagnosed as a "Stage 0" adenocarcinoma in situ.
Precancerous cells in the colon and pancreas were also detected among six people in the survey, according to the company.
In Japan, it is estimated that one in two people would develop cancer in their lifetime, while one in four men and one in six women will die from the disease, according to statistics of the National Cancer Center Japan.
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