Apr 17 (NHK) - Researchers at Japanese electronics maker Hitachi are studying a new method to help people detect cancer at an early stage. The idea is to screen urine samples mailed from home.
The researchers have been working on the method for 3 years. They've checked about 2,000 biological waste materials in urine and found several biomarkers tied to cancer.
Hitachi says it plans to launch an experiment this month to improve the accuracy of the screening method. It's teaming up with Nagoya University Hospital to find out whether test results could be affected by temperature changes and time required for delivery of samples.
Hitachi says a urine test is less intrusive than the standard blood test currently used in cancer screening.
The company plans to start practical use of the test method in the early 2020s.
Hitachi's senior official Shinji Yamada says he believes a mail-in urine test will make it easier for many people to undergo screening, including infants.
