Prostate news article, September 2007
| FIRST
GENETIC TEST FOR PROSTATE CANCER
Now launched in the UK (but not on the NHS yet) Article appearing in Times Online, 16th September 2007 By: Sarah-Kate Templeton, Health Editor |
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The first genetic test for prostate cancer, which kills 10,000 men every year in Britain, will be launched here this week (16th September 2007).
The test is more reliable than methods currently used to diagnose the disease. Doctors say the genetic test is a step closer to being able to screen all men for prostate cancer in the same way as women are routinely checked for breast and cervical cancer.
At present doctors use a blood test called the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test to check if men are at increased risk of cancer. The PSA test can indicate the presence of a prostate problem, which may sometimes turn out to be prostate cancer. The PSA test gives rise to a large number of false positive results, however. This leads to men having unnecessary biopsies carried out.
The new test, called the PCA3, is being marketed by the American
company Gen-Probe and will have the backing of leading cancer experts
and campaigners.
It looks for a gene in men’s urine that is produced by prostate
cancer cells. If the urine test is positive, this is a more accurate
indication that the man has prostate cancer.
Roger Kirby, professor of urology at St George’s hospital, London, said: “Although the PSA test gives us an indication of there being something wrong with the prostate, it does not always tell us if it is malignant. This new test, in combination with an examination of the prostate . . . tells us whether we should advise a biopsy.”
To see this article in full, visit www.timesonline.co.uk