Urin-Based Cancer Screening Test Shows New Hope For Non-Invasive Early Detection

Urine-based cancer screening illustration (Freepic)

JAKARTA - A recent innovation from Japan offers new hope in early detection of cancer. A urine-based test kit developed by start-up company Craif Inc. is able to identify cancer potential at very early stages without the need for invasive procedures such as blood-taking.

Craif Inc., a startup rooted in Nagoya University and established in 2018, created this tool to detect risks to seven types of cancer at once, including lung cancer, colon, and pancreatics. This technology has been tested in small communities in Hokkaido, northern Japan, with promising results.

The test kit, named "miSignal", is given free of charge to residents from year to March 2025. This tool works by identifying the presence of microRNA biological markers (biomarkers) closely related to the activities of small amounts of cancer cells in urine.

According to Professor Tatsuya Kato of Hokkaido University Hospital, this tool has succeeded in detecting cancer that is difficult to find through conventional methods such as X-rays. He stressed that this tool is very beneficial for remote areas such as Hokkaido which are facing limited medical facilities.

"We managed to detect and treat cancer that is difficult to find through X-ray examination," said Professor Hokkaido.

The results of a survey on the use of this kit were presented at a meeting of the Japan Chest Surgery Association last May. One of the significant findings is the presence of a tumor in the lungs of a woman in her 60s who has not had a lung cancer examination for more than five years. The tumor was identified as an in situ adenocarcinoma, or zero stage cancer, and was successfully treated through surgery.

In addition, initial indications of pre-cancer cells were also found in six other participants, especially in the large intestines and pancreass based on the results of testing.

Statistics from Japan's National Cancer Center show that one in two of the country has the potential to develop cancer in its life. In fact, one in four men and one in six women are thought to have died from the disease, stressing the importance of early detection of reducing the death rate from cancer.