A cheap urine test is expected to change the way prostate cancer is being diagnosed and treated as it can not only tell if the patient is sick but also indicate the possible size of the tumor.
The test, which costs only £10 ($15), is designed by Richard Morgan, a professor of the University of Bradford, together with Hardve Pandha, a professor of the University of Surrey. It is currently being developed by Randox Laboratories.
It works like a regular pregnancy test and is meant to detect the presence of a certain protein known as N2, which is produced by the malignant tumors. Incidentally, as the size of the tumor increases, the amount of N2 present in the urine may also be elevated.
Based on the results of the test, the doctor will therefore know if the patient indeed has a prostate cancer and the possible size of the tumor. Depending on the latter, the doctor can then decide whether to suggest surgery or not.
According to the developers, prostate cancer, which affects 200,000 men in the United States, is usually slow growing. It may take at least a decade before the symptoms appear. It also has a high survival rate compared to other forms of cancer. The American Cancer Society reports that over 2 million men with the disease continue to live today. Further, the survival rate is almost 100% for local cancer and regional metastases.
There's also a prostate cancer marker test known as PSA assay, which can help in the diagnosis. However, it doesn't inform the doctors about the tumor's size, so patients go through interventions such as surgeries, which may not yet be necessary.
The test is also believed to be much better than the present test in terms of accuracy. In 5-year trial conducted, participated by over 70,000 men, the accuracy rate of this urine test is 90%, at least twice higher than the current test.
The test still has to go through NHS regulations and approval, but they hope to get it into the market within 2 years.
