PhD defence: Nathalie Demuth Fryd
Urinary Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer: Clinical Applications in Detection and Treatment Monitoring
Info about event
Time
Location
The auditorium at Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital
On Tuesday 6 October at 13:00, Nathalie Demuth Fryd defends her PhD dissertation entitled “Urinary Biomarkers in Bladder Cancer: Clinical Applications in Detection and Treatment Monitoring”.
Urinary biomarkers are emerging as promising tools within bladder cancer management. A new PhD project from Aarhus University explored the clinical potential of urinary biomarkers in bladder cancer, with a particular focus on early detection and treatment monitoring.
In Greenland, large geographical distances and limited access to specialist urological care can delay diagnostic evaluation. A population-based registry study of urogenital cancers showed that bladder cancer incidence was lower than in the other Nordic countries, while mortality relative to incidence was higher, pointing to potential challenges in timely diagnosis and specialist evaluation. Against this background, the urinary biomarker test Xpert® Bladder Cancer Detection was prospectively evaluated in patients referred for cystoscopy in Greenland. The test showed diagnostic performance broadly comparable to previous studies from other settings, supporting its potential role as a non-invasive tool for diagnostic triage in the Greenlandic healthcare system.
In patients with high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer treated with BCG, the project investigated urinary tumor DNA, circulating tumor DNA, and urinary proteomics as potential markers of treatment response. Current risk stratification tools cannot predict which patients will respond to BCG or distinguish between the risk of recurrence and progression, making early identification of treatment failure difficult. Urinary tumor DNA measured during treatment was associated with recurrence risk, while a combined biomarker model improved prediction of high-grade recurrence compared with conventional risk stratification.
Together, these studies highlight the potential of urinary biomarkers to support more accessible, less invasive, and more individualized management of BC across diagnosis, surveillance, and treatment monitoring. Such approaches may be particularly valuable in geographically remote healthcare systems, where limited access to specialist evaluation and cystoscopy represents a substantial clinical challenge.
The summary is written by the PhD student.
The defence is public and takes place in the auditorium at Department of Molecular Medicine (MOMA), Aarhus University Hospital. Please see the press release for more information.
Contact
PhD student Nathalie Demuth Fryd
Mail: natfry@clin.au.dk