Although it is early days, it appears that there is a new prostate cancer test being developed. It is a blood test which uses a cluster of specific proteins and can detect prostate cancer more accurately and much earlier. Preliminary tests show that it is 90% accurate with less chance of a false-positive result compared to the current PSA blood test.
The difference with this test is that it looks at auto-antibodies for cancer, similar to the auto-antibodies associated with autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The research group based in Oxford who are developing the test, have explained that it focuses on trying to find the antibodies that are produced in the early stages of cancer. By identifying cancer in the early stage, it becomes more treatable.
The other positive aspect of this test is that it can differentiate between actual prostate cancer from a more benign condition. The test is currently being used in a large follow-on study of which the analysis should be ready next year. If it becomes licensed, it looks as if it will have the capacity to be more specific which the current PSA blood test, although very sensitive, does not have good specificity which leads to many unwanted tests.
