16th December 1999

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An exciting new technique for the management of bladder cancer, pioneered by scientists at the University of Ulster, is to undergo clinical tests, involving Altnagelvin Hospital in the New Year.

Surgeons at Altnagelvin and at Leicester General Hospital are to help test the technique, known as the comet assay, shown to be a highly reliable indicator of cell radio sensitivity for numerous bladder cancer cell lines.

The technique which is being researched by Dr McKelvey-Martin from the University's Cancer and Ageing Research Group in Coleraine and Dr McKeown from its Radiation Science Research Group at Jordanstown

At the moment the two main techniques for treating bladder cancer, where the tumour has grown into the bladder wall, are either radiotherapy or surgery:

"The trouble is that about half those undergoing radiotherapy fail to respond and by the time that this has been established the tumour has had time to spread.

"Crucial time has been wasted before surgery in what will have been, for some, ineffectual radiotherapy," explained Dr McKelvey-Martin.

"If we can demonstrate that the comet assay is able to distinguish between radiosensitive and radio resistant tumours we could then select for immediate radiotherapy those patients whose tumour can be destroyed by radiation. Those people who will not respond to radiotherapy will be identified much earlier and sent for immediate surgery, at a time when the risk of the disease having spread is much less."

The researchers plan to collect human bladder cancer biopsies and prepare samples for the analysis.

"We want to measure whether the Comet prediction of a tumour's sensitivity to radiotherapy correlates with what actually happens after three to six months of radiotherapy," explained Dr McKelvey-Martin.

The technique may also have other applications:

"If the comet assay is successful, it may also be possible to give younger, fitter patients with tumours predicted to be moderately radio resistant, combined chemotherapy and radiation treatment."

"This combination has been shown recently to improve prognosis in cancer of the cervix."

For further information, please contact:

Press Office Department of Communication and Development
Telephone: 028 9036 6178
Email: pressoffice@ulster.ac.uk