Originally published October 3 2005
New method for detecting prostate cancer being developed
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
In The New England Journal of Medicine, an experimental test was able to spot 82 percent of prostate tumors, using the same blood sample that is taken with the current PSA diagnostic exam.
A blood test that detects the body's natural defense against malignant cells may help doctors spot prostate cancer more accurately, a new report said.
In a study reported in the Sept. 22 New England Journal of Medicine, the new test correctly spotted 82 percent of prostate tumors.
Two more years of testing is needed to confirm its accuracy, said Pienta, whose collaborators developed the test.
The new test's benefit, he said, is that it will reduce the number of patients told to undergo a biopsy to determine if their enlarged prostate gland is cancerous.
Prostate tumors are the most common cancer in men, with 232,090 diagnosed and 30,350 killed by the disease in 2005, according to the American Cancer Society.
The researchers said the new test may be combined with the current one, which detects the presence of prostate specific antigen, a protein expressed by the cells in the gland and released into the blood.
Abbott Laboratories, based in Abott Park, Illinois, sells a PSA test.
``Using PSA alone results in millions of dollars being spent on prostate biopsies due to false positive results,'' said Sudhir Srivastava, chief of the cancer biomarkers research program at the National Cancer Institute.
``We don't yet know if our new findings will save lives,'' he said, ``but there could be a major cost saving by decreasing the number of prostate biopsies performed every year.''
The substances, called markers, are thought by some researchers to be a better indicator of the presence of a growing tumor than high levels of PSA.
Ultimately, using the body's immune system to look for early signs of cancer may help detect other tumors, as well as different types of illnesses, the researchers said.
The University of Michigan has filed for a patent on the test.
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