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UK scientists develop new test for prostate cancer
More accurate and cheaper than existing methods
© Alexander Raths - Fotolia.com Thu 14 Oct, 2010
A team of UK scientists has developed a new method to test for the presence of prostate cancer which is twice as accurate as the existing method.
Current prostate cancer detection
When doctors screen for prostate cancer, they take a blood sample which is tested for the level of the protein prostate specific antigen (PSA), which is the most abundant protein in semen. Men with prostate cancer typically have higher levels of PSA. But other factors can result in high PSA, such as infection or a non-cancerous tumour. In fact two out of three men with raised PSA levels do NOT have prostate cancer.
Crucially, the test can only detect the possible existence of prostate cancer - it cannot be used to predict the possibility of the man developing the disease in the future.
Therefore the current test has poor reliability, and is difficult and expensive to use. This has prevented the introduction of a national screening program for prostate cancer. As prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in men, causing 10,000 deaths each year, screening for the disease to allow early diagnosis and treatment could save many lives.
About the new test
The team, from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute and The Institute of Cancer Research, looked at the second most common protein in semen, microseminoprotein-beta (MSMB). Levels of this protein are in fact reduced in cases of prostate cancer. This reduction is linked to a genetic "marker" which is a good predictor for prostate cancer risk. Importantly, MSMB is secreted into the urine from semen, so a simple urine test can be used to measure its level.
Furthermore MSMB levels do not seem to be affected by an enlarged prostate or by hormone levels - both major drawbacks with the current test.
Lead author Dr Hayley Whitaker said: "We looked in tissue and urine from over 350 men with and without prostate cancer to find out how much MSMB they had. We then looked to see who had the genetic change. It was really exciting to find out that the genetic change and the amount of protein were linked."
Co-author Professor Rosalind Eeles explained: "Our studies have shown that men with a small change in their MSMB gene are at a higher risk of prostate cancer, and so we are very excited that there may be a simple test for this genetic change."
Additional work is now required to develop the test into a viable testing kit. The researchers suggest that the price could be as low as £5 or £6 per test - a third less than the current PSA test.
The research is published in PLoS ONE.
All about prostate cancer
All about prostate cancer - kewego
Dr Chris Steele talks about this condition which is common in men, especially as they get older. For more information see http://www.thefamilygp.com/Prostate-cancer.htm
Dr Chris Steele talks about this condition which is common in men, especially as they get older. For more information see http://www.thefamilygp.com/Prostate-cancer.htm
Video from thefamilygp
All about prostate cancer - kewego
A potentially killer disease - facts, figures and symptoms
Prostate cancer kills 1 man every hour in the UK - so don't be one of them - know the symptoms, and then report to your doctor!
One in twelve men in the UK will develop prostate cancer - but 60% of men don't know the symptoms of this potentially killer disease.
Symptoms of prostate cancer
One of the problems with prostate cancer is that in its early stages it often does not cause any obvious symptoms. When they do occur they may include any of the following:
• Needing to rush to the loo to wee.
• Passing urine more often, daytime and/or night-time
• Slow at getting the flow or urine started
• Weaker flow of urine
• Starting and stopping whilst passing urine
• Discomfort (pain or burning) whilst peeing
• Feeling of not having emptied the bladder fully
• Dribbling after you've finished peeing
• Blood in urine or semen
• Pain or stiffness in the back, hips or pelvis
Many of these symptoms can be due to just simple enlargement of the prostate, which occurs as men get older. This is not cancer and is called Benign Prostatic Hypertrophy (BPH) - 'benign' meaning non-cancerous, 'prostatic' meaning relating to the prostate, and 'hypertrophy' just means enlargement.
If you're a man over the age of 40 with any of the above symptoms, don't put it down to just getting older - tell your GP!
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