Healthy living
Body matters
New while-you-wait blood test for prostate cancer
A blood test is often the first step taken in diagnosing prostate cancer. Now, a new, portable blood testing machine means men could get their results within minutes, rather than being left waiting for days
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men and over 34,000 are diagnosed with the disease every year in the UK. The most frequently used test for prostate cancer is the Prostate Specific Antigen or PSA blood test. Although a high PSA reading doesn't always mean prostate cancer, it is often a sign that further investigation is needed.
Usually, PSA test results take several days but a new finger-prick blood test analysed using a portable machine means doctors can give patients their test results in as little as ten minutes.
The new test, called PSAWatch, makes screening quicker and easier, with no need for samples to be sent to laboratory or for patients to return to their doctor's to pick up their results.
The while-you-wait test, developed by the inventor of the DIY strip pregnancy test, is being used in a number of private practices in the UK but is not yet available on the NHS.
'Speeding up the testing process cuts out the worry factor for men,' says Jan Holt, head of marketing for the test manufacturers, MediWatch. 'It is still used in a clinical environment, so that men receive their results in the presence of a trained medical professional and it means they can immediately discuss the results and their options of further testing and investigation where necessary.'
The test could prove particularly convenient for men who require regular PSA tests. Men with raised PSA levels may not need any immediate treatment but should actively monitor their PSA levels, for example. Others already diagnosed with prostate cancer may need regular PSA tests to monitor the progression of the disease and measure the success of any treatments.
MediWatch has also launched a second, more accurate test for prostate cancer – a urine test that detects specific genetic markers associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer. The PCA3Plus is a more expensive test, however, and typically used only after a raised PSA blood test result has been recorded.
Dr Tim Larner, a consultant urologist at Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust said: 'These two new tests, when taken together, could really change the outlook for men we suspect to have prostate cancer. This simple fingerprick test enables us to rapidly identify at-risk men who warrant further investigation, whilst the PCA3Plus test enables accurate identification of cancer risk following an unclear biopsy result.'
PSA levels vary from man to man and increase naturally with age. A raised PSA test result alone isn't always a reliable indicator of prostate cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, two in three men with a raised PSA do not end up being diagnosed with the disease. Equally, some men with prostate cancer may not have high PSA levels so the test would not detect their cancer.
A raised PSA can be caused by other things such as infection, a non cancerous enlarged prostate and even exercise and sex. However, it is still considered useful in flagging up men at risk.
Useful articles
Reader comments
Would like to suggest to my Club that we purchase a blood test machine for our Swanage Health Centre. Any help with supplier's name and address and likely cost would be appreciated. C.D.D.
Posted by: Rotarian Clem Dennis | 21/10/2008 17:43:24
i have been treated by radiotherapy over a year ago and still have side effects, sleepless nights due to excessive peeing, limited control over my motions so that i am always looking out for toilets whereever i go, i am told this can take up to 3 years to correct itself or you have to learn to live with it but in the end i am still here to talk about it and get on with it.
Posted by: jorg normann | 11/10/2008 13:48:03
Information on this site is for interest only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. You should consult your own doctor about any specific health concerns.
