A New, Better, Test for Prostate Cancer

University of Michigan researchers have developed a simple urine test that screens for the presence of 4 different RNA molecules; this serves as an accurate test for prostate cancer. They have published this in the journal Cancer Research.

Until now, the serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) has been the standard test for the cancer, but it has its deficiencies. The new test can identify 80% of prostate cancer patients; it ruled out cancer in 61% of patients in other studies who didn’t have cancer. This is quite an improvement over the PSA , and even over the PCA3 test (PCA3 is a single genetic marker found in the urine). The 4 biomarkers used in the test are identified as: GOLPH2, SPINK1, PCA3, and TMPRSS:ERG. Seems to me you have to be very alphabetically literate to follow along this line of research. I welcome the results, though, and hope for speedy availability of the test.