European multi-center study suggests PCA3 test more accurate for prostate cancer
The information was contained in a poster presentation at the European Association of Urology meeting in Berlin last week, by Dr. Alexander Haese of the University Medical Center Eppendorf, in Hamburg, Germany. The data were from 199 men enrolled in the seven hospital study in Europe. All of them previously had a negative prostate biopsy. In the study, all respondents received a repeat biopsy, Gen-Probe's PROGENSA PCA3(TM) molecular urine test, a serum test for total PSA and a serum test for free PSA.
Based on the interim analysis presented at the EAU meeting, the researchers concluded that the PROGENSA PCA3(TM) assay was better than free PSA at predicting the result of the repeat biopsy. They reported the PCA3 test had a specificity of 73% in the study, compared to only 16% for free PSA. The researchers also said that higher PCA3 scores correlated with a greater likelihood of a positive repeat biopsy. For example, men with an elevated PCA3 score had a 41% likelihood of having a positive repeat biopsy, while men with a low PCA3 score had only a 16% likelihood.
Another promising study presented by Gen-Probe and independent researchers at the EAU meeting showed that the PCA3 score did not correlate with the size of the prostate gland. Importantly, previous research has suggested that the PCA3 score does correlate with the size of the prostate tumor. These findings reflect the fact that PCA3 overexpression is highly specific to prostate cancer. By comparison, serum PSA may be elevated due to a number of benign conditions, resulting in "false positive" results and unnecessary biopsies. In fact, as many as three-quarters of men suspected to have cancer based on PSA testing actually have non-cancerous conditions, such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).
Topics
Organizations
Other news from the department research and development
Get the analytics and lab tech industry in your inbox
From now on, don't miss a thing: Our newsletter for analytics and lab technology brings you up to date every Tuesday. The latest industry news, product highlights and innovations - compact and easy to understand in your inbox. Researched by us so you don't have to.