Prostate Cancer Gene Test Provides New Early Detection
The prostate-cancer-gene-3 (PCA3) test is a new PCa gene-based marker carried out with a urine sample. PCA3 is highly specific to PCa and has shown promising early detection results at repeat biopsy. It may allow patients to avoid unnecessary biopsies. The PCA3 gene is dominant in over 95% of malignant prostate tissue compared to benign and normal prostate tissue.
Several studies have been done to evaluate the PCA3 assay. In 2007, Marks et al showed that urine PCA3 levels were more accurate than serum PSA measurements for predicting the results of repeat biopsy (Marks LS, Fradet Y, Deras IL, et al. PCA3 molecular urine assay for prostate cancer in men undergoing repeat biopsy. Urology 2007; 69:532–5).
In the October 2008 issue of European Urology (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/eururo), Haese et al took the study by Marks et al even further in their evaluation of the PCA3 assay in a larger population of European men with one or two negative biopsies scheduled for repeat biopsy in order to determine its effectiveness in detecting PCa at repeat biopsy.
The PCA3 score was calculated and compared to biopsy outcome. The diagnostic accuracy of the PCA3 assay was compared to the percentage of free prostate-specific antigen (%fPSA). Most of the PSA that circulates in the serum is attached to larger protein substances, so called 'complexed' PSA. The rest of the PSA is unbound or 'free'. Research suggests that PSA created by prostate cancer is more likely to be the 'complexed' type while non-cancerous or benign PSA is more the 'free' type.
In 463 men, the positive repeat biopsy rate was 28%. The probability of a positive repeat biopsy increases with rising PCA3 scores. The PCA3 score was superior to %fPSA for predicting repeat prostate biopsy outcome and may be indicative of clinical stage and significance of PCa.
The utility of the PCA3 score is independent of the number of previous biopsies, prostate volume, and total PSA.
An editorial by Stacy Loeb in the same issue discusses whether PCA3 helps in determining clinically relevant PCa.
Media Contact
More Information:
http://www.elsevier.comAll latest news from the category: Health and Medicine
This subject area encompasses research and studies in the field of human medicine.
Among the wide-ranging list of topics covered here are anesthesiology, anatomy, surgery, human genetics, hygiene and environmental medicine, internal medicine, neurology, pharmacology, physiology, urology and dental medicine.
Newest articles
Microscopic basis of a new form of quantum magnetism
Not all magnets are the same. When we think of magnetism, we often think of magnets that stick to a refrigerator’s door. For these types of magnets, the electronic interactions…
An epigenome editing toolkit to dissect the mechanisms of gene regulation
A study from the Hackett group at EMBL Rome led to the development of a powerful epigenetic editing technology, which unlocks the ability to precisely program chromatin modifications. Understanding how…
NASA selects UF mission to better track the Earth’s water and ice
NASA has selected a team of University of Florida aerospace engineers to pursue a groundbreaking $12 million mission aimed at improving the way we track changes in Earth’s structures, such…
