Urinary biomarkers for cancer diagnosis

Abstract

The present invention is directed to the field of cancer diagnosis, specifically to the diagnosis of bladder cancer (BC) and prostate cancer (CaP). More specifically, the invention provides simple, non-invasive urinary tests characterized by high sensitivity and specificity, wherein urinary levels of heat shock proteins and anti-inflammatory cytokines are used as biomarkers.

What is claimed: 
     
         1 . A diagnostic kit comprising i) means for collecting a urine sample from a subject and ii) means for determining the level of at least one biomarker selected from the group consisting of IL-13, IL-1β, HSP60, HSP70 and HSP90 in the sample. 
     
     
         2 . The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprise at least one antibody directed to IL-13, HSP60, HSP70 or HSP90. 
     
     
         3 . The kit of  claim 1 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprise at least one antibody directed to IL-13 or IL-1β. 
     
     
         4 . The kit of  claim 2 , wherein said kit is for assessing the presence of bladder cancer in a subject suspected of having blabber cancer. 
     
     
         5 . The kit of  claim 4 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to IL-13. 
     
     
         6 . The kit of  claim 4 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to HSP60. 
     
     
         7 . The kit of  claim 4 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to HSP70. 
     
     
         8 . The kit of  claim 4 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to HSP90. 
     
     
         9 . The kit of  claim 3 , wherein said kit is for assessing the presence of prostate cancer in a subject suspected of having prostate cancer. 
     
     
         10 . The kit of  claim 9 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to IL-13. 
     
     
         11 . The kit of  claim 9 , wherein the means for determining the level of at least one biomarker comprises at least one antibody directed to IL-1β.