A Stream of Hope: New Study to Validate Urine-Based Multi-Cancer Test

5/13/2025 4:35:00 PM |

The article is contributed/written by

A patient undergoing a cystoscopy to test for bladder cancer (Credit-SGH)

MEDIA RELEASE

Singapore, 13 May 2025 – Urological cancers – namely bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers – share several risk factors and individuals at risk for one may be at higher risk for developing another. Comprehensive screening for all three cancers, not just one, ensures early detection, which can significantly improve treatment outcomes. However, these cancers are currently tested separately and often involve invasive procedures, substantial costs, and multiple clinic visits. This can create barriers to regular screening, even for individuals who know they are at higher risk. What if a single urine test could be used to screen for all three cancers?

Singapore General Hospital (SGH), Lucence, and the Diagnostics Development Hub (DxD Hub), a national platform hosted by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), have jointly launched a study to validate the accuracy and reliability of this urine-based test for early detection of these cancers.

Principal Investigator of the study, Associate Professor Kenneth Chen, Senior Consultant, Department of Urology, SGH, said, “Bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers are often asymptomatic in the early stages. That’s why most patients only seek medical attention when symptoms show up, often when the tumour is larger, and the cancer is more advanced. Cancers detected early generally have better outcomes. That is why we hope a single, simple, non-invasive screening method like a urine test that many are familiar with, could lead to more proactive screening, especially those at higher risk of developing these cancers.”

The one-year validation study leverages Lucence’s proprietary technology that identifies multiple cancer types from a single test, previously developed for blood samples. Early research, however, has shown that urological cancers tend to be harder to detect in blood tests. As urological cancers are connected to the urinary system, the team hopes that the cancer signals would show up more prominently, or even earlier, in urine samples.

When patients present with symptoms like haematuria (blood in urine), determining the underlying cause can be complex, as it could indicate various conditions ranging from benign ones such as urinary tract infections and kidney stones, to potentially cancer. A single urine test screening for all three urological cancers could help clinicians better direct specific diagnostic investigations, reducing the need for multiple separate tests including imaging scans and invasive scope procedures.

DxD Hub scientists are developing a urine extraction workflow to support urine-based screening for urological cancers (Credit-DxD Hub)

Dr Tan Min-Han, Founding CEO and Medical Director of Lucence, said: "This study is about making a real difference in people's lives. A urine-based test for urological cancer screening has the potential to significantly improve early detection rates compared to the more invasive procedures we use today. In Singapore alone, this test could benefit over 1 million people at risk of bladder, kidney, and prostate cancers. We're excited to be working with SGH and DxD Hub to validate this approach. At Lucence, we believe that more accessible and effective diagnostics are key to better cancer care.”

The study aims to recruit 150 participants aged 40 years and above, including 120 patients, 40 each with early-stage bladder, kidney, or prostate cancer pre-treatment, and 30 healthy volunteers. Enrolled participants will provide 20mls of urine and 18mls of blood samples for testing by Lucence. Results would be compared to findings from tissue samples of bladder, kidney, and prostate tumours.

DxD Hub will lead the development of the urine extraction workflow to complement Lucence’s proprietary technology for multi-cancer early detection. The workflow will help ensure stability and robust processing of urine samples to improve the test’s effectiveness.

Dr Weng Ruifen, Chief Executive Officer of DxD Hub said, “Current diagnostic approaches for urological cancers often involve multiple invasive procedures that create discomfort for patients and strain healthcare resources. Through our development of the urine extraction workflow, DxD Hub aims to provide clinicians with a reliable, non-invasive screening tool that enables more efficient patient triage and better-informed clinical decisions. This innovation could streamline diagnostic pathways, reduce unnecessary procedures, and facilitate earlier interventions—ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes. The kit could also complement broader efforts in preventive healthcare.”

Urological cancers are becoming more prevalent. In Singapore, prostate cancer has maintained its position as the most prevalent cancer among Singaporean men from 2018 to 2022, while kidney cancer ranked as the seventh most common. Incidence rates of both these cancers have also been increasing from 1968 to 2022¹. Overall, prostate, kidney and bladder cancers are among the top 15 most common cancers in 2022 across both genders in both Singapore² and globally³. In Southeast Asia, prostate cancer is the fifth most common cancer in the Philippines⁴ and Thailand, while bladder cancer is the eighth most common in Thailand⁵. Shared risk factors for these cancers include family history of urological cancer, older age, and tobacco smoking.

¹ Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2022
² Global Cancer Observatory 2022 Singapore Fact Sheet
³Global Cancer Observatory 2022 Fact Sheet on all cancers
⁴ Global Cancer Observatory 2022 Philippines Fact Sheet
⁵ Global Cancer Observatory 2022 Thailand Fact Sheet

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For media enquiries, please contact:

Candice Lee

Communications Department

Singapore General Hospital

Email: [email protected]

Dione Chew

Corporate Communications

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Email: [email protected]

Lucence Communications Team