Spotting aggressive prostate cancer using urine samples

Grant information

Reference: RIA24-ST2-008
Lead researcher: Professor Daniel Brewer
Institution: University of East Anglia
Award: £340,320

What you need to know

• Researchers are testing whether urine can reveal different types of prostate cancer, especially the aggressive ones, using a simple at-home kit.
• By studying urine and biopsy samples from 350 men, they’ll look at which genes are switched on or off to spot patterns linked to fast-growing cancers.
• The goal is to create a urine test that helps men get the right treatment sooner, and avoid unnecessary side effects from treatments they don’t need.

Why are we funding this research?

In the UK today, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. But not all cases are dangerous. The challenge is figuring out which cancers are aggressive and need treatment, and which ones can safely be left alone. Right now, doctors rely on biopsies to make that call, but biopsies can be painful and sometimes miss the most serious parts of the cancer.

This research is trying to solve that problem by developing a simple urine test that can be done at home. The idea is to look for clues in urine that reveal how the cancer behaves – whether it’s slow-growing or likely to spread. That way, men could get the right treatment sooner, and avoid unnecessary side effects from treatments they don’t need.

What makes this project different is that it’s not just testing for cancer. It’s trying to sort prostate cancers into different types, based on how aggressive they are. This approach has worked well in breast cancer but hasn’t yet been cracked for prostate cancer. If successful, it could lead to a routine, non-invasive test that helps men and their doctors make better decisions, earlier.

What will the researchers do?

In this project, researchers are first collecting urine samples from 350 men who’ve been diagnosed with prostate cancer. They’re using a kit that men can use at home, making the process simple and non-invasive. As well as the urine, they’ll also study leftover cells from each man’s biopsy, and collect data about the men’s cancers – such as their aggressiveness.

Next, the team will look at which genes are switched on or off in each urine and biopsy sample, and work out whether these gene activity levels correspond to any known ‘subtypes’ of prostate cancer that behave in certain ways (such as being more aggressive). One subtype of prostate cancer the team is particularly interested in is called DESNT, which seems to be linked to fast-growing disease.

Importantly, they'll look at whether this and other subtypes can be detected from the urine samples, not just the biopsy samples. If so, the team will work to develop a test that can spot these types of prostate cancer from urine samples, without the need for a biopsy.

Finally, they’ll use artificial intelligence (AI) to search for new patterns in the data that humans might miss – potentially uncovering types of prostate cancer that haven’t been recognised before.

How will this benefit men?

By developing a urine test that can spot the more dangerous types of prostate cancer, this project could help doctors make better decisions earlier, without relying on painful biopsies. That means fewer men being overtreated, and more men getting the right care at the right time.

In the long run, this kind of test could even be used to screen all men, catching aggressive cancers before symptoms appear. That would give men a better chance of successful treatment, reduce stress and uncertainty, and help the NHS avoid unnecessary costs.