What can a “cancer test kit” tell us? I tried a home-based genetic and microRNA cancer test.

In March, Yu Hatanaka of the comedy duo Oswaldo made headlines when he had one kidney completely removed due to kidney cancer. Fortunately, the cancer was detected at an early stage, and he has already returned to work, but the reason for the discovery was that he happened to be concerned about the health of his friend Mogura Suzuki of KUKI KAIDAN, who underwent a checkup.

It is often heard that “by the time cancer is detected, it is too late. However, there are probably many people who know that they should go for regular cancer checkups, but are unable to go. They have to apply for the test for each type of cancer, and the schedule and location of the test are often different, giving the impression that it is just a hassle.

Perhaps because of this, there has been an increase in the number of test kits that can be done at home in recent years. This reporter tried out a testing package called “MySignal ®︎,” which has been available since 2010. MySignal®︎” is a series of test kits, and there are two types: “MySignal Scan” (69,300 yen), which uses microRNA in urine to test the risk of cancer, and “MySignal Navi” (19,800 yen), which uses a genetic test to determine what type of cancer you are likely to develop. I’m going to apply for both of them for now. I decided to apply for both for the time being.

I received two small boxes. The “Scan” box contained a kit for urine testing, and the “Navi” box contained a kit for collecting bodily fluids, packing materials for mailing each box, and simple instructions on how to perform the test.

The QR code on the manual allows you to register on a dedicated website and fill out a web application form. Questions include age, height, weight, lifestyle habits such as drinking and smoking, medical history, and cancer history in the immediate family. The test is also very easy. For the “Scan” test, you simply collect urine in the provided container, and for the “Navi” test, you simply send in a sponge with the provided kit. It took only about 30 minutes to complete the registration process.

The results arrived about two weeks later for the “Scan” and about a month for the “Navi. Mr. Naoki Matsumoto, a spokesman for Craif Corporation, the developer of the “MySignal ®︎ series,” explained the contents of the tests and how to read the results (remarks by Mr. Matsumoto).