Prostate Cancer Gene Test Provides New Early Detection - Urine Test May Reduce Needless And Expensive Biopsies
October 16th, 2008 Posted in prostate cancer diagnosisThe prostate-cancer-gene-3 (PCA3) test is a new PCa gene-based marker carried out with a urine sample. The PCA3 gene is dominant in over 95% of malignant prostate tissue compared to benign and normal prostate tissue. PCA3 is highly specific to PCa and has shown promising early detection results at repeat biopsy.
Several studies have been done to evaluate the PCA3 assay. In 2007, Marks et al showed that urine PCA3 levels were more accurate than serum PSA measurements for predicting the results of repeat biopsy. This finding may allow patients to avoid unnecessary biopsies and use only a simple urine test to detect prostate cancer.