Scientists seek more accurate cancer test

IRISH scientists are working towards identifying a more accurate test than the one currently available to diagnose prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men here with around 500 dying from the cancer every year.

The Prostate Cancer Research Consortium is collecting hundreds of prostate tumour specimens, together with blood and urine samples from men with the disease in Ireland and banking them for current and future research.

The prostate cancer tumour samples are being screened for changes in proteins and compared to normal tissue. The scientists are trying to detect these proteins in the blood and urine samples.

If they can detect similar proteins in the blood and urine, they will have identified a ‘biomarker’ or indicator that someone has prostate cancer without the need for a biopsy.

At a briefing in Dublin yesterday, Professor Donal Hollywood, a senior oncologist at St James’s Hospital and St Luke’s Hospital in Dublin, and the consortium’s senior investigator, said new ways were needed to detect and treat the disease at an earlier stage.

The Prostate Specific Antibodies (PSA) test is currently used to detect prostate cancer and to monitor the effectiveness of existing treatments.

Prof Hollywood said more precise tests were needed to monitor both of these situations.

“An increase in PSA does not necessarily mean a patient has prostate cancer but it does suggest the possibility a patient has the disease,” he said.

“The new research will allow us to come up with better biomarkers to detect the disease earlier and to monitor the effectiveness of new molecularly targeted treatments with more certainty.”

The Irish Cancer Society, the largest voluntary contributor to cancer research, has already allocated €582,000 to the consortium’s work for the initial three-year period up to 2006 but will need to raise €500,000 to fund the project for another three years.

The briefing was also held to launch the 2005 Terry Fox Runs.

Last year, the Terry Fox Runs around Ireland raised €314,000 for cancer research and this year the target is €320,000.

For more information call the Terry Fox Runs hotline at 1850 60 60 60 or visit www.cancer.ie.