New Genetic Test May Help Predict Prostate Cancer

A new test that analyzes a set of 6 genes in an attempt to predict which men will have prostate cancer has shown promising early results. By comparing 76 healthy men with 76 men with prostate cancer, researchers came up with a set of 6 genes that show different activity in prostate cancer patients than they do in healthy patients.

The researchers then used those 6 genes to try and predict which men, out of a group of 222 men, had prostate cancer and which did not. The test correctly detected 86% of men with prostate cancer.

The developers of the test feel that the gene test used in conjunction with more standard prostate cancer detection methods, such the PSA test and digital rectal exam, will result in improved cancer detection rates.

One limitation to the test, similar to a limitation with the PSA test, is that it does not allow for a distinction between a prostate cancer which is aggressive, extremely dangerous, and in need of prompt treatment and a more benign, slow-growing prostate cancer that could possibly be watched instead of actively treated.

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