Blood Test Predicts Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Current tests such as the prostate specific antigen (PSA) and digital rectal exam (DRE) often lead to unneeded biopsies and more than 50% of men who undergo biopsy do not have prostate cancer, yet suffer the pain and side effects of the procedure such as infection or sepsis.

Less than 20% of men who receive a prostate biopsy are diagnosed with the aggressive form of prostate cancer that could most benefit from treatment. A newly developed diagnostic will allow men to bypass painful biopsies to test for aggressive prostate cancer. The test incorporates a unique nanotechnology platform to make the diagnostic using only a single drop of blood, and is significantly more accurate than current screening methods.


Scientists at the University of Alberta (Edmonton, AB, Canada) developed The Extracellular Vesicle Fingerprint Predictive Score (EV-FPS) test, which uses machine learning to combine information from millions of cancer cell nanoparticles in the blood to recognize the unique fingerprint of aggressive prostate cancer. The developed diagnostic was evaluated in a group of 377 Albertan men who were referred to their urologist with suspected prostate cancer. It was found that EV-FPS correctly identified men with aggressive prostate cancer 40% more accurately than the more common PSA blood test, which is widely used today.

It is estimated that successful implementation of the EV-FPS test could eventually eliminate up to 600,000 unnecessary biopsies, 24,000 hospitalizations and up to 50% of unnecessary treatments for prostate cancer each year in North America alone. Beyond cost savings to the health care system, the scientists say the diagnostic test will have a dramatic impact on the health care experience and quality of life for men and their families. The team plans to bring the test to market through university spin-off company Nanostics Inc.

Adrian Fairey, MD, an urological surgeon at the Alberta Urology Institute (Edmonton, AB, Canada), said, “Compared to elevated total PSA alone, the EV-FPS test can more accurately predict the result of prostate biopsy in previously unscreened men. This information can be used by clinicians to determine which men should be advised to undergo immediate prostate biopsy and which men should be advised to defer biopsy and continue prostate cancer screening.” The study was presented at the International Society for Extracellular Vesicles (ISEV) annual meeting, held May 18-21, 2017, in Toronto, Canada.

Related Links:
University of Alberta
Alberta Urology Institute