THz Spectroscopy of Urine Vapors from Patients with Prostate Cancer and Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia: A Pilot Analysis
Approximately 13% of men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer (PC) during their lifetime. Serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is widely used for screening and risk assessment; however, PSA elevations are not cancer-specific and may also occur in benign conditions such as prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Additional non-invasive approaches capable of provid- ing complementary molecular information are therefore needed. Here, we present an exploratory pilot study using high-resolution terahertz (THz) spectroscopy to examine urine-derived volatile and thermal-decomposition products. Analysis of urine samples from 24 patients with PC and 14 patients with BPH identified differences in the reported molecular-assignment patterns and candi- date spectral features for further evaluation. The study was designed for candidate identification and feasibility assessment and did not evaluate diagnostic accuracy or superiority to PSA. These findings support further investigation of THz spectroscopy as a potential source of complementary molecular information alongside PSA and other established clinical assessments. The study also outlines the technical standardization and clinical-validation requirements that must be addressed before this approach can be considered for routine clinical use.