Scientists Develop Cheap, Accurate Test to Predict Prostate

A test to check the risk of prostate cancer in men has been developed by British scientists.

The breakthrough raises the prospect of millions being screened for the disease in the same way as women are for breast cancer.

 

The test has so far proven to be twice as precise as the current method. It focuses on urine rather than blood, meaning it is cheaper and also has the advantage of dispensing with needles.

The 5.50 pounds kit could be in widespread use in GPs' surgeries in as little as four years.

"This is a vital piece of research that could go a long way to find a long-awaited and much-needed reliable and easy test to identify those men most at risk of developing prostate cancer. If further studies show this can be used in the clinic, this will be a landmark discovery," the Daily Mail quoted David Neal of the Cambridge Research Institute as saying.

In developing the new test, scientists from the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Research Institute and the Institute of Cancer Research used results of genetic studies to link low levels of the microseminoprotein-beta protein (MSMB) with signs of the disease.

Researcher Hayley Whitaker said that initial studies suggest that the test is twice as accurate as the current one.