Systematic review of NMP-22 and BTA bladder cancer test accuracy
Susan Mallett and Doug Altman with Jeremy Crew and Andrew Protheroe (Oxford)
There are 13,000 new bladder cancers diagnosed per year in the UK, making it the 4th most common cancer in men. In addition 50-70% of cancers recur after treatment requiring ongoing monitoring. Current diagnosis relies on an invasive technique called cystoscopy. New tests for bladder cancer that have been approved by the FDA could provide a non-invasive alternative to repeated invasive cystoscopies, if their accuracy were shown to be clinically useful for bladder cancer diagnosis and management. Previous reviews of the literature have not taken a systematic approach based on searching for all relevant studies or by examining the clinical accuracy of these test within specific clinical contexts.
We are currently planning systematic reviews to address the accuracy of NPM-22, BTA stat and BTA Trak in diagnosis of cancer in patients referred with haematuria and detection of tumour recurrence in patients being monitored after diagnosis of and treatment for bladder cancer.
