Prostate cancer, the most common cancer in men in the UK, has received a welcome medical discovery today.
The British Journal of Cancer has published findings which show that tiny bubbles of fat in urine could detect whether prostate cancer is aggressive or not.
Research found that certain molecules, called RNA, which are carried directly out of the body in fatty capsules (exocomes) can be used to detect whether genes are 'turned on or off' in an individual's cancer.
For the first time, scientists have discovered that information from exosomes, which are in all human urine, come straight from a tumour and can be used to decipher whether cancers are aggressive and require rapid treatment, or can be left untreated.
Dr Jonas Nilsson, lead author based at the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, said: 'We hope that this innovative approach to studying prostate cancer will reveal new biomarkers for aggressive tumours.
'Tumour-derived RNA is preserved in these capsules and gives us an insight into the genetics of an individual's tumour.'
Around 100,000 men die from the disease every year in the UK. Invasive treatments can leave men with problems such as incontinence and impotence, and therefore finding a way of determining whether to treat the cancer aggressively or not has been a key challenge for researchers.
Dr Lesley Walker, director of cancer information at Cancer Research UK, added: 'This technique is a fresh view on an old problem and could really help scientists find that elusive biomarker.
'It's still unclear what the best treatment approach is for early prostate cancer, so it's important we find answers to this as soon as possible.
'Distinguishing the aggressive tumours that must be treated from those that don't need treatment will go a long way towards resolving this issue.'