New Test for Prostate Cancer?!

The PSA test is the gold standard for prostate cancer testing.

It’s also notoriously inaccurate.

You see, a high score might mean you have prostate cancer—or it might not.

In fact, most men who have an elevated PSA do NOT have prostate cancer!

Despite this fact, men with an elevated PSA are told they need an invasive (not to mention uncomfortable and potentially risky) procedure called a transrectal biopsy.

It’s a lot of worry to go through just to find out you DON’T have cancer.

Fortunately, there’s a new test in the works that can accurately detect aggressive prostate cancer without putting patients through unnecessary biopsies.

Researchers recently found that half of all prostate tumors carry a genetic abnormality. This abnormality creates an “on” switch for prostate cancer development.

The MyProstateScore test measures levels of these cancer-specific genes in your urine—and it’s remarkably accurate.

A study published in the Journal of Urology included 1,525 patients who had high PSA levels and underwent a subsequent invasive biopsy.

Of those, 22 percent (338) patients had cancers that were serious enough to warrant immediate treatment (grade 2 or higher).

But the biopsies also revealed that many of the men either didn’t have cancer at all, or had a slow-growing, non-aggressive cancer that didn’t need treatment.

If the MyProstateScore test had been available, it could have avoided one-third of unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies.

Using a test like this after a high PSA test could avoid costly, invasive, and ultimately unnecessary biopsies in a large majority of men.

I’ll keep you posted on future developments for this test.

 

P.S. While we wait for future developments on this test, click here to learn about the morning drink that ENDS fatal prostate cancer.