Novel Test Detects Early Prostate Cancer

A novel urine test improves upon the prostate-specific antigen test (PSA) screening for prostate cancer and that together in combination is far more accurate than the PSA alone.

More than one million men will undergo a prostate biopsy this year, but only about one-fifth of those biopsies will result in a cancer diagnosis, and therefore a more accurate test is desirable.


Scientists at the University of Michigan Health System (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) have begun offering a urine test called Mi-Prostate Score to improve on PSA screening for prostate cancer and the test was validated on nearly 2,000 urine samples The test incorporates three specific markers that could indicate cancer. Mi-Prostate Score, or MiPS, was significantly more accurate than PSA alone for predicting cancer as well as predicting aggressive prostate cancer that is likely to grow and spread quickly.

The urine test looks for the ribonucleic acid (RNA) of the fusion gene transmembrane protease, serine 2: V-ets erythroblastosis virus E26 oncogene homolog (T2:ERG) as well as another marker, prostate cancer antigen 3 (PCA3). This gene fusion, T2:ERG is believed to cause prostate cancer. Studies in prostate tissues show that the gene fusion almost always indicates cancer. This is combined with serum PSA values to produce a risk assessment for prostate cancer. The test also predicts risk for having an aggressive tumor, helping doctors and patients make decisions about whether to wait and monitor test levels or pursue immediate biopsy.

Scott Tomlins, MD, PhD, a professor of Urology, said, “Many more men have elevated PSA than actually have cancer but it can be difficult to determine this without biopsy. We need new tools to help patients and doctors make better decisions about what to do if serum PSA is elevated. Mi-Prostate Score helps with this. This combination test is not designed to say definitively at diagnosis whether a man has aggressive prostate cancer, but it can provide a more accurate estimate of the likelihood of having cancer and the likelihood of that cancer being aggressive.” The diagnostic field of use has been licensed to Hologic (Bedford, MA, USA).

Related Links:
University of Michigan Health System
Hologic