Combined Automated Blood Tests Estimate Prostate Cancer Probability

Three automated blood tests combined into one index estimates a man's probability of having prostate cancer found on biopsy.

A new prostate disease marker, p2prostate-specific antigen (p2PSA), and the Prostate Health Index (phi), significantly improve the specificity of prostate cancer biomarker assessment.

Serum Beckman Coulter (Nyon, Switzerland) phi is a multivariate index incorporating prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, and proPSA concentrations into a single result. This enables medical professionals to estimate the probability of cancer in men aged 50 and older with total PSA in the 2.0-10.0 ng/mL range and a nonsuspicious digital rectal examination (DRE).

proPSA is a novel serum marker strongly associated with prostate cancer and delivers added specificity to PSA. As a result, phi contributes to reduce significantly the number of negative biopsies resulting from suspicious PSA or free PSA results.

Beckman Coulter phi is a composite score of Access Hybritech PSA, free PSA and the new p2PSA assay, which measures the isoform proPSA.

A new website introduced by Beckman Coulter, was designed to encourage dialogue between patients, physicians, and laboratory professionals. It provides guidance and education to all parties in order to foster confident prostate biopsy decision-making. The website (please see related links below) provides links to credible medical resources, the latest unbiased scientific studies, and details the benefits of the latest blood test, which can noninvasively identify patients who are most likely to have a negative prostate biopsy.

Related Links:
Beckman Coulter
Prostate Health Index