When the GAG score was combined with risk factors such as age and smoking history, a pre-specified high-risk group, an estimated 13–23% of participants depending on the cohort, accounted for 54% of the cancers diagnosed during follow-up. About 17% of participants who stayed cancer-free were also placed in this group. The association was similar across cancer stages, at least as strong in adults under 50, and strongest for several cancers that currently have no population screening, including pancreatic, kidney and brain cancer and lymphoma.

The retrospective study used 24-hour urine samples from the Dutch Lifelines population cohort: all 827 people diagnosed with cancer within five years, plus a random sample of 4,609 who were not. Researchers from Lund University, the University of Liverpool, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Elypta measured three GAGs and built a risk score. Elypta sponsored the study. Independent prospective validation is needed before any clinical use. Elypta is extending the work to panels of up to 11 GAGs and to plasma, and plans validation in additional cohorts.

“Today we choose who to screen largely by age and smoking history. This peer-reviewed study shows that a biological signal measured in urine adds independent information about who is at higher risk of cancer, including at the earliest stages,” said Karl Bergman, CEO of Elypta.