Can a genetic test spot bladder cancer in people who have blood in their urine? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Blood in your urine is definitely a reason to seek medical attention, and for many people cancer is a top concern. Now a new genetic test that can spot changes in the DNA known as mutations can help rule out bladder cancer as a cause and point the way to appropriate further testing. Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center director William Nelson explains.

Nelson: There's probably thousands of areas of the genome where DNA methylation is different in cancers generally than in normal cells. These can be detected by DNA kind of detection techniques. This particular one looks at DNA methylation alteration and cancer that's in bladder cancer and what's interesting is the clinical scenario that we're talking about is you have folks who have blood in their urine. The question you have at that point is which of these people need to have cystoscopy, which of these people have a urinary tract infection.              :34

Nelson is hopeful the DNA test will help. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.