Scientists are working on developing a urine test to detect prostate cancer.
- Early detection of prostate
cancer remains a major clinical challenge due to the lack of reliable
biomarkers, despite the disease being highly treatable when caught in its
early stages.
- Now, researchers have
identified a new set of urine-based biomarkers that can accurately detect
both the presence and severity of prostate cancer.
- The study combines
artificial intelligence with detailed genetic analysis and could
potentially offer an alternative to current PSA testing.
Prostate
cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men
yet is often highly treatable when detected early. It originates in the
prostate gland, located between the bladder and the penis.
While the exact cause
remains unknown, the likelihood of developing the disease increases with age.
One reason early
detection is challenging is the absence of reliable biomarkers that can
accurately indicate the onset of the disease.
This new research, published in the journal Cancer Research,
suggests that early-stage prostate cancer can be detected using a simple urine
test.
Using AI, gene activity to identify cancer biomarkers
Researchers created
digital models of prostate cancer by analysing mRNA activity across all human
genes in thousands of individual tumour cells, each classified by cancer grade
and location.
They used artificial
intelligence to examine these models and identify proteins that could act as
potential biomarkers.
These biomarkers were
then tested in blood, prostate tissue and urine samples from nearly 2,000
patients.
First author Martin Smelik explained
the key findings to Medical News Today.
“The key finding of this article is that prostate
cancer can be effectively identified by analyzing the expression of candidate
biomarkers in urine,” Smelik explained.
“This
approach [via a urine sample] outperforms the current blood tests based on PSA
but at the same time keeps the advantages of being non-invasive, painless, and
relatively cheap.”— Martin Smelik
Potential alternative to PSA
testing
A specific set of
urine-based biomarkers showed strong potential in detecting both the presence
and severity of prostate cancer with greater accuracy than PSA, the current
standard blood-based marker.
A PSA test is
a simple blood test that checks the level of a protein called prostate-specific
antigen, which is made by the prostate.
High levels of PSA can
be a sign of prostate cancer, but they can also be caused by other conditions
like an enlarged or inflamed prostate.
Large scale clinical trials
needed to confirm findings
Plans are now in place
to conduct large-scale clinical trials to further validate the findings.
In addition, discussions
are underway to include the novel biomarkers in a UK-wide prostate cancer study
to speed up testing and implementation.
“This
publication brings hope for more efficient screening programs within next few
years, which might ultimately help to prevent and treat prostate cancer. While
this study was focused specifically on prostate cancer, we believe that some of
the methods could be generalized to other cancers as well, which we would like
to try in our future studies.”— Martin Smelik
These improvements may
also help reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies in men who do not have the
disease.
Milan Sheth,
MD, quadruple board certified in internal medicine, hematology,
oncology, and palliative care, at MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long
Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA, who was not involved in the study, said
that this is an impressive study utilising artificial intelligence to find
alternative methods and bio markers for diagnosing prostate cancer.
“Early
diagnosis and treatment are critical for preventing such complications.
However, current methods for diagnosing prostate cancer utilize uncomfortable,
and invasive approaches that can only be performed by a urologist.”
— Milan Sheth
“The findings from the
current paper showed that specific biomarkers which are dynamic and more
sensitive than PSA can actually be found in the urine,” Sheth told MNT.
“Remarkably, the urinary bio markers demonstrated exceptional diagnostic
precision, and we’re capable of distinguishing not only cancerous from non-cancer
states but also indicating disease severity.”
Test may aid prostate cancer
screening
“This discovery could potentially change the ways in
which prostate cancer is not only diagnosed but can also be used as a more
accurate screening mechanism, which we desperately need. And all this simply
through a urine test,” Sheth said.
Ramkishen Narayanan, MD, board certified urologist and
urologic oncologist and Director of the Center for Urologic Health at The Roy
and Patricia Disney Family Cancer Center at Providence Saint Joseph Medical
Center in Burbank, CA, agreed, saying that “this paper presents an exciting
area of research.”
“With
respect to prostate cancer, serum PSA has remained the only reliable
‘biomarker’ for nearly 50 years at this point. We are long overdue for
additional biomarkers that can both detect prostate cancer and monitor prostate
cancer progression.”— Ramkishen Narayanan
Narayanan pointed out
that “the study authors make note that urine may be an excellent modality for
finding a reliable biomarker due to the ‘local fluids’ near cancer concept.”
“Urine is intimately
associated with the prostate and a urinary biomarker for prostate cancer is an
ongoing area of research worldwide,” he said.
“Spatial transcriptomics
is unfortunately very expensive; therefore, a globally collaborative approach
(such as the cancer genome atlas program) would be the most beneficial to the public,”
Narayanan added.
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