Bladder cancer has a cure rate of over 90% when detected early, but it has a high recurrence rate of 70%, necessitating continuous monitoring. Late detection often requires major surgeries, such as bladder removal followed by artificial bladder implantation or the use of a urine pouch, significantly lowering the patient’s quality of life.

However, existing urine test kits have low sensitivity, and cystoscopy, which involves inserting a catheter into the urethra for internal bladder examination, is both painful and burdensome. This highlights the urgent need for a simple yet accurate diagnostic technology for patients.

The findings are published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.

The research team designed an innovative diagnostic kit by utilizing the principle of water and oil layering to detect bladder cancer biomarkers. Biomarker detection in urine has been challenging due to the low concentration of biomarkers and interference from impurities like hematuria.