New Prostate Cancer Test May Avoid Unnecessary Biopsies

A new urine test may avoid unnecessary prostate cancer biopsies, according to a study appearing in the March issue of Journal of Urology.

Called the MyProstateScore test – it works by measuring levels of cancer-specific genes in a patient’s urine. To assess its efficacy, researchers conducted a validation study consisting of 1,525 patients seen at academic health centers and in community health settings. Among the population of interest, 22% had cancers detected on biopsy that were group grade 2 or higher.

“Our ultimate goal was to determine whether the MyProstateScore test could be a practical, reliable test that could rule out the need for more costly or invasive testing in men referred for a prostate biopsy,” says study lead author Jeffrey Tosoian, M.D., M.P.H., a clinical lecturer in urology at Michigan Medicine via a press release.

The results showed that if MyProstateScore test had been available to patients in the study, 387 biopsies could have been avoided. Moreover, the test would have missed only 10 clinically significant cancers that would have warranted immediate treatment.

Dr. Tosoian said: “The data show that this straightforward, secondary testing approach could reduce the use of more costly and invasive procedures following a PSA test.”

Study: New Prostate Cancer Test Could Avoid Unnecessary Biopsies https://t.co/CABEqqfTJv

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