Men could be screened for prostate cancer at home using a simple saliva test following ground-breaking research that aims to ‘turn the tide of the disease’.
The cheap test – which looks for genetic markers of the cancer in people’s DNA – was more effective than the current blood test that men can request from their GP.
It detected more aggressive cancers and resulted in fewer false positives, saving men from unnecessary and expensive further testing.
Experts said it would cost less than £200 and could be sent by post to people with symptoms or as part of a national screening programme, saving thousands of lives a year.
Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust tested the test on 6,142 men aged 55-69 from their GP practices.
The cheap saliva test – which looks for genetic markers of prostate cancer in people’s DNA – was more effective than the current blood test that men can request from their GP
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They provided a sample of saliva which was then tested for 130 genetic variations in the DNA code with known links to prostate cancer, known as a polygenetic risk score.
The men who scored in the highest 10 percent were invited for further screening, consisting of MRI followed by prostate biopsy.
About 558 men were sent for further testing, with 40 percent (187) diagnosed with prostate cancer.
This compares with 25 percent of men with high prostate-specific antigen (PSA) scores, who are typically diagnosed with the disease.
PSA tests have also been found to detect many cancers that are not of clinical concern and do not require treatment.
Crucially, this latest test identified a higher percentage of aggressive cancers – which are fast growing and likely to spread – than the PSA test.
Of the 187 cancers detected, 55.1 percent were aggressive cancers, compared to 35.5 percent identified by a PSA test.
Ros Eeles, professor of oncogenetics at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, said the breakthrough could be game-changing for the disease that kills 12,000 Britons every year.
Presenting the findings today at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago, she said: ‘With this test it could be possible to turn the tide on prostate cancer.
‘We have shown that a simple, cheap spit test to identify men who are at higher risk due to their genetic makeup is an effective tool for detecting the cancer early.
‘Building on decades of research into the genetic markers of prostate cancer, our research shows that theory works in practice: we can identify men at risk of aggressive cancers who need further testing and those who are less at risk from unnecessary treatments to spare. .’
The test will be part of the groundbreaking prostate cancer screening study currently underway in Britain, which will almost certainly follow a national screening programme.
Over the next three years, Transform will test the effectiveness of diagnostic techniques such as this saliva test against the current PSA test.
Retired Brighton teacher Dheeresh Turnbull was diagnosed with prostate cancer as a result of the BARCODE 1 study.
The 71-year-old was referred by his GP to take part in the trial, with the test showing his genetic risk was high.
Further tests confirmed he had prostate cancer and he was referred to The Royal Marsden in London where he underwent robotic surgery to remove part of his prostate.
This led to his younger brother Joel signing up for the trial, who was also diagnosed with the disease.
He said: ‘I was completely shocked when I got my diagnosis as I had absolutely no symptoms, so I know I would never have been diagnosed at this stage if I hadn’t taken part in the study.
On average, more than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer every year in the UK, making it the most common form of cancer in men. About 12,000 men die from the disease every year – the equivalent of one man every 45 minutes
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‘Because the saliva test showed that I had a high genetic risk of developing the disease, my younger brother, who would have been too young to participate directly in the study, signed up and discovered that he also had an aggressive tumor in had the prostate.
‘It’s incredible to think that two lives in my family have now been saved thanks to this research.’
Men found to have a high polygenic risk score in this study will be followed to see if they develop prostate cancer.
The technique will also be expanded to include new markers recently identified for different ethnicities.
Professor Eeles added: ‘Our next step will be to test the genetic markers we have identified that are associated with a risk of prostate cancer in diverse populations to ensure this test can benefit all men. ‘
Around 52,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in Britain every year – the equivalent of 142 per day – making it the most common cancer among men.
Although survival rates have tripled over the past fifty years, projections indicate that by 2040 the number of men diagnosed each year in Britain could double.
Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of the ICR, said: ‘Cancers that are caught early have a much better chance of being cured, and with the number of prostate cancer cases set to double by 2040, we need a program to catch the disease early. diagnose. .
‘We know that the current PSA test can lead to men having to undergo unnecessary treatments and, even more worryingly, the absence of men who do have cancer.
‘We urgently need an improved test to detect the disease. This research is a promising step toward that goal and highlights the role genetic testing can play in saving lives.”
The Daily Mail has been campaigning for better diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer for more than twenty years.
Naser Turabi, Director of Evidence and Implementation at Cancer Research UK, said: ‘It is encouraging to see that genetic testing can help guide a more targeted approach to screening based on a person’s risk of developing prostate cancer.
‘More research is now needed to confirm whether this tool can save lives from the disease so it can be rolled out to improve diagnosis.’