A trial of a urine test to diagnose bladder cancer is being led by experts at Southampton hospital.

Clinicians at the general will recruit about 40 patients for the study, which aims to provide an alternative to the invasive test currently used for the seventh most common type of cancer in the country.

About 10,000 people are diagnosed each year and around two-thirds of cases recur within five years, so patients are monitored routinely after treatment.

The Mcm5-ELISA test, developed by Sunderland-based Arquer Diagnostics, will look for a specific protein which is shed into urine by bladder and prostate tumours.

Patients are currently tested and monitored via an invasive cystoscopy examination, which involves passing a thin device through the urethra - the tube which carries urine out of the body - to examine the inside of the bladder.

Tim Dudderidge, a consultant urological surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, said: ''There is currently an unmet need for a test that would allow for more screening and enable earlier detection of bladder cancer.

''At present, patients are referred to hospital to undergo a cystoscopy examination which involves using local anaesthetic and can be very uncomfortable for patients.

''The Mcm5-ELISA test has the potential to provide patients with a simple and non-invasive solution for screening and for the detection of recurrence for the first time and we are pleased to be part of such an exciting development.''

Dr Ian Campbell, chief executive of Arquer Diagnostics, said: ''At present, over 150,000 cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed in Europe annually and this number is increasing.

"The health-economic benefits of our Mcm5-ELISA test would enable accurate, non-invasive close monitoring of the disease at low cost.''