A new saliva test could help change the way prostate cancer is detected, according to UK scientists.
The test examines men’s DNA to determine their inherited risk of developing the disease. Those found to be at higher risk can be prioritized for further investigations, such as prostate biopsies and MRI scans — helping to detect aggressive cancers that might otherwise remain hidden.
Prostate cancer claims the lives of around 12,000 men in the UK each year. In recent times, calls for routine screening of healthy men have increased, especially after Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy revealed his diagnosis of terminal prostate cancer.
Current screening methods, which rely on detecting prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in blood, have limitations and can sometimes cause more harm than benefit. In contrast, this saliva test doesn’t look for the disease itself but screens for 130 genetic mutations associated with increased prostate cancer risk.
In a recent study, scientists assessed men aged 55 to 69 and identified those at highest risk. The top 10% were invited for further checks. Of the 745 men in this group, 468 agreed to undergo additional testing, leading to 187 prostate cancer diagnoses. Notably, 103 of these were higher-risk tumours requiring treatment — with 74 cases that current tests likely would have missed at this stage.
“This new test gives us a way to detect men at risk of aggressive cancers early while sparing low-risk men from unnecessary interventions,” said Prof Ros Eeles of the Institute of Cancer Research, London.
