Massively parallel sequencing of urinary DNA – the dawn of non-invasive bladder cancer detection and surveillance?

The recent paper by Dudley et al. (1) entitled “Detection and surveillance of bladder cancer using urine tumor DNA” adds to the burgeoning evidence that massively-parallel sequencing of urinary DNA reliably detects tumour-associated mutations in urinary DNA. This approach promises to resolve the long overdue need for a sensitive and specific non-invasive test for bladder cancer. In this editorial we discuss the existing body of evidence and what the study by Dudley et al. contributes to this rapidly-evolving field of cancer research.