A study of more than 12,600 men found the Stockholm3 blood test detected significantly more aggressive prostate cancers than the standard PSA test, without increasing unnecessary follow-up testing.
A next-generation blood test could improve the early detection of the most dangerous forms of prostate cancer.
Researchers in Sweden tested more than 12,600 men between the ages of 50 and 74 using both the new Stockholm3 blood test and standard PSA test, and then followed them for two years through national cancer registries.
Unlike the standard PSA test, which measures a single blood protein, the Stockholm3 test combines multiple protein and genetic markers with factors like age and family history to better assess the risk of aggressive prostate cancer.
The study found Stockholm3 detected 90 percent of aggressive prostate cancers, compared with 74 percent for PSA, without subjecting more men to unnecessary testing.
Researchers say the newer test also missed significantly fewer serious cancers while identifying a similar number of men as high risk who did not have aggressive disease.
The authors say Stockholm3 may be a more accurate alternative to the PSA blood test, which can miss aggressive cancers and lead to unnecessary biopsies.
They say longer-term follow-up is still needed to determine whether the test improves survival and other patient outcomes.
Source: Annals of Internal Medicine
Author Affiliations: Karolinska Institutet, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Koc University Hospital University of Washington Medical Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, University of California, Los Angeles, Duke University Medical Center
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