A simple urine test under development for prostate
cancer detection can now use urine samples collected at home,
according to University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and
Norwich University Hospital. The test is early in its
development, but has the potential to offer a simple,
non-invasive way of predicting aggressive prostate cancer.
Urine samples were
collected from more than 500 men. Most had prostate cancer. The
researchers looked at the expression of 167 genes in the
samples. They found 35 genes that can help predict how dangerous
a prostate cancer might be. They also tracked the men's health
for an average of six years. The profiles of 23 men whose cancer
progressed were significantly different than those whose cancer
did not progress.
Scientists pioneered the test which diagnoses aggressive
prostate cancer and predicts whether patients will require
treatment up to five years earlier than standard clinical
methods. Their latest study shows how the ‘PUR’ test (Prostate
Urine Risk) could be performed on samples collected at home, so
men do not need to come into the clinic to provide a sample. It
provides biomarker levels from the prostate that are much higher
and more consistent. It looks at gene expression in urine
samples and accurately predicts aggressive prostate cancer, and
predicts whether patients will require treatment up to five
years earlier than standard clinical methods.
The research team provided 14 participants with an At Home
Collection Kit, and instructions. They then compared the results
of their home urine samples with samples collected after a
digital rectal examination. “We found that the urine samples
taken at home showed the biomarkers for prostate cancer much
more clearly than after a rectal examination.
Robert Mills, Consultant Surgeon in Urology at the Norfolk and
Norwich University Hospital, said, “This is a very exciting
development as this test gives us the possibility of
differentiating those who do, from those who do not have
prostate cancer so avoiding putting a lot of men through
unnecessary investigations.