Bladder cancer is one of the most common cancers in both men and women.
Similar in format to the common home pregnancy test, the BTA stat test is a lateral flow immunoassay that takes only a few minutes to detect tumor antigens from a few drops of urine. The familiar appearance of a colored line in the membrane window indicates a positive result. Based on the outcome of the BTA stat test, physicians can opt to use either a rigid or flexible cystoscope. The rigid cystoscope can remove tumors during the examination, but requires the patient to undergo general anesthesia. If warranted by negative results from the BTA stat test, the exploratory, flexible cystoscope can be used instead.