3-minute prostate cancer test in pipeline

A THREE-MINUTE test for prostate cancer, the most common form found in Irish men, is being developed by scientists.

The test could mean that patients do not have to endure a two-week wait for results following a biopsy and it offers hope of a replacement for the unreliable PSA blood test.

The PSA test is currently used to give a preliminary diagnosis, but often gives inaccurate results, leading to unnecessary treatment.

The new technique, developed by British and American scientists, could form the basis of a simple screening procedure for prostate cancer that could be used in out-patient departments at local hospitals.

There were 2,536 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in Ireland in 2007, according to latest data from the National Cancer Registry of Ireland.

The registry also estimates the incidence of prostate cancer will almost treble by 2020 when an estimated 3,768 new cases will be diagnosed.

The Irish Cancer Society’s prostate cancer information nurse, Sonya Bowen, said it was always encouraging when scientists were examining new tests that could diagnose prostate cancer more accurately. She was hopeful the new test would complement existing tools to detect prostate cancer, such as the PSA test.

“We would always welcome the development of a new test but it will take time before it becomes available,” she said.

The new test being developed works by shining a light through a fluid sample taken from the prostate gland to determine levels of a molecule called citrate, which dip in cancer’s early stages.

However, the technique will have to be tested on samples from thousands of men before it becomes available on the market, possibly in about five years.