Researchers at the University of Cambridge have developed a urine test that could detect lung cancer years before symptoms appear. The test, described in a study published in Nature Aging, works by identifying senescent cells — sometimes called “zombie cells” — that linger in the lungs and release inflammatory signals linked to cancer development and treatment resistance.
Lung cancer is the UK’s most common cause of cancer death, killing roughly 32,800 people each year. The disease is often caught late — nearly half of the disease cases in England are diagnosed at the most advanced stage. At that point, only about 5% of patients survive five years, compared with 65% when caught early.
Scientists created an injectable sensor that interacts with proteins released by senescent cells. When those proteins are present, the sensor triggers the release of a compound that shows up in urine. That signal can indicate the earliest biological signs of therapy resistance and cancer growth, months or even years before a patient feels anything.
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A test that could change when the disease is caught
The team tested the sensor using real patient samples and large genetic datasets. The results confirmed the approach works, but it has not yet been tested in humans. Clinical trials are the next step, according to Professor Ljiljana Fruk from Cambridge’s Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology.
“It is likely it will take a few years to bring it to patients, but it is a first big step,” Fruk said. She added that it could one day be used easily in GP surgeries and hospitals to detect recurrence in this hard-to-treat disease much earlier.
Professor Daniel Munoz-Espin, co-lead for the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre Thoracic Cancer Programme, pointed to earlier work showing that these cells can cause treatment resistance after chemotherapy and even promote disease development by suppressing the immune system. It, he said, may allow primary care detection of both therapy resistance and early disease in future clinical settings.
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Why early detection matters — and what still needs to happen
Around two in three people diagnosed at the earliest stage survive five years or more. The number drops to five in 100 when the disease is caught late. The researchers say early identification is critical because the disease often relapses silently, with few or no symptoms until it has spread.
The study was funded by Cancer Research UK. Patrick Keely, the charity’s spokesperson for the East of England, said it was an innovative use of new technology — though he noted that clinical validation remains necessary. Professor Robert Rintoul, another co-lead on the program, said novel approaches for disease detection and response to treatment are urgently needed, and this work “forms the basis for testing within clinical trials with a view to future use in the clinic.”
Death rates for this disease in the UK have dropped 22% over the past decade thanks to better prevention, detection, and treatment. This new approach, if it passes trials, could push those numbers further by catching the disease before it gets a chance to spread — and before the patient even knows something is wrong.