Researchers have developed a new blood test to screen for prostate cancer.
- Prostate cancer is the most common in men.
- Prostate cancer is rare before the age of 50.
- The number of cases is highest around the age of 70.
Prostate cancer is the third deadliest cancer in men, with around 8,000 deaths each year, according to Public Health France. Currently, to detect this cancer, there are two types of examinations: the digital rectal examination and the PSA assay. The first allows the doctor to check the volume, consistency and texture of the surface of the prostate by inserting a gloved finger into the rectum. The second way allows, with a blood test, to measure the level of PSA – a protein of the prostate – in the blood.
But, in most cases, this test is not accurate enough to detect this type of cancer. Thus, men are forced to do a biopsy, which is often unnecessary. “Only about a quarter of people who have a prostate biopsy due to high PSA have prostate cancer”, explains in a communicated Professor Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, lead author of a new study published in the journal Cancer.
A new blood test 94% effective
In this work, researchers at the University of East Anglia, England, have developed a new blood test to detect prostate cancer: the Prostate Screening EpiSwitch (PSE). This new test combines a standard PSA test and an EpiSwitch epigenetic test. The latter detects the chromosomal conformations specific to prostate cancer in the blood of patients.
To test the effectiveness of PSE, scientists conducted a study on 147 patients. Result: the success rate for prostate cancer screening is 94%, much higher than with other screening methods. Ultimately, if this test passes all clinical trials, it could therefore improve the diagnosis of prostate cancer.
“A rapid and minimally invasive diagnosis”
“When tested in the context of screening an at-risk population, the PSE test enables rapid, minimally invasive diagnosis of prostate cancer with impressive performance, emphasizes Professor Dmitry Pshezhetskiy. This suggests a real benefit for diagnostic and screening purposes.”
According to the Vidal, there would be three main risk factors for prostate cancer: age, family history and ethnic origin, because this cancer is more common in men of African origin, northern Europeans and North Americans. Americans. Then comes the consumption of certain products such as tobacco, cold cuts or dairy products.
