The Nation - News from Oct. 4, 1988

A new urine test holds promise of detecting bladder cancer in an early, potentially curable stage and may eventually lead to tests to catch other types of cancer before they spread, scientists said. National Cancer Institute researchers reported they have developed a relatively simple test that checks urine for the presence of a substance secreted by cancer cells. The substance, a protein called autocrine motility factor, or AMF, plays a key role in moving cancer cells and enabling them to spread in the region surrounding the tumor and to other sites in the body.