University of Florida researchers, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Michigan, have identified proteins that appear to signal the presence of bladder cancer. They hope this discovery will lead to a simple test that can detect the disease early."With any cancer, the earlier you find it, the better, because it's not as aggressive in its early stages, and of course it's much easier to remove any cancer anywhere in the body if you catch it while it's relatively small," said Steve Goodison, an associate professor of surgery at the UF College of Medicine-Jacksonville.
The findings will be published in the July 6 edition of the American Chemical Society's Journal of Proteome Research.
Bladder cancer is among the five most common cancers and four times as many men than women develop the disease. Smoking and industrial toxins are known risk factors.
