Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
A Drop-Top research at work.<br />
The Drop-Top proposed technology will bring about three<br />
main improvements:<br />
• the number of invasive tests will be strongly reduced,<br />
leading to a reduction in costs by decreasing hospital<br />
admissions and the number of occupation hours lost;<br />
• reduction in the number of invasive tests will also diminish<br />
morbidity and improve the quality of life of patients;<br />
• a better prognosis will allow more adequate choice of<br />
treatment i.e. avoiding therapy to patients who do not<br />
need it and applying more aggressive therapy to patients<br />
at risk.<br />
While most patients develop bladder tumours with a relatively<br />
good prognosis in terms of survival, their management<br />
is very expensive because of the multiple recurrences that<br />
most patients suff er, the need for invasive follow-up procedures,<br />
and the frequent hospitalizations. Overall, bladder<br />
cancer patients generate the highest cost/patient and lifetime<br />
among patients with cancer. In conclusion, bladder<br />
cancer generates very high costs to society.<br />
At the present time, there is no test recommended or<br />
approved to help establish the prognosis of patients with<br />
bladder cancer. Over the past 10 years several products have<br />
been approved by the FDA for use in the early detection of<br />
bladder cancer recurrence (i.e. nmp22, BTA, Diagnocure<br />
Immunocyt, Vysis). However, none of these tests is yet used<br />
routinely in the clinical setting because they do not provide<br />
a substantial benefi t. Therefore, there is a tremendous need<br />
for better tests.<br />
Patients with bladder cancer develop multiple (up to 30)<br />
tumour recurrences, thus requiring continued follow-up<br />
after the initial diagnosis. For this reason, most patients<br />
undergo at least two medical visits over the fi rst few years<br />
EARLY DETECTION, DIAGNOSIS AND PROGNOSIS<br />
after diagnosis. Subsequently, the frequency of medical<br />
examinations varies according to the evolution of the disease.<br />
Therefore, a test that would allow the early detection of<br />
recurrences and an improved establishment of prognosis<br />
would be applied very frequently to the patients. The Drop-<br />
Top proposed test could even be used more commonly than<br />
cystoscopies are performed today given that it would not<br />
be invasive. Its availability would allow demonstration of<br />
the concept that early detection of tumour recurrence is<br />
associated with improved overall outcome.<br />
Potential applications<br />
Diagnosis and prognosis for the bladder cancer and others<br />
disease.<br />
Preparation of the sample.<br />
125