Waiting times for prostate cancer could be radically reduced by an “extremely encouraging” 20-minute test, scientists have revealed.
The new ultrasound test can detect the vast majority of tumors and takes a fraction of the time required by the existing method of lengthy blood tests and MRIs.
Around 3,400 men in Scotland are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year.
But a team from Edinburgh’s Heriot-Watt University said recent trials at the city’s Western General Hospital had promising results.
The new test uses a dye containing microbubbles that is injected into a vein.
This travels to the prostate, where a high-resolution ultrasound can detect how the microbubbles flow. Any cancer in the prostate alters blood flow.
Early clinical trials show the test can detect 94 percent of prostate tumors and costs a tenth of the MRI scan.
It also enables more precise prostate biopsies and targeted therapies to destroy cancer cells.
The new ultrasound test can detect the vast majority of tumors and takes a fraction of the time required by the existing method of lengthy blood tests and MRIs (file image).
Prostate cancer imaging developed by university researchers has shown “extremely encouraging” results in its first clinical trials
MRI images (left) and new super-resolution images (right) demonstrate undetected tumor
The current testing medium, a blood test called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, is unreliable (File image)
The current method of testing, a blood test called a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test, is unreliable and means men must undergo expensive MRI scans that can involve long waiting lists.
Dr. George Papageorgiou, chief executive of test developers Less Gray Imaging, said the new technique has the potential to “reliably detect clinically significant prostate cancer.”
He added: “Currently, the diagnosis of prostate cancer varies widely across the country, and many patients are diagnosed too late for curative treatment.
‘By integrating ultrasound more prominently into the diagnostic pathway, we can ensure early diagnosis.
“Urologists will have an imaging tool that will allow them to make accurate diagnoses and make decisions more quickly.”
The potential of the technology has led government group Innovate UK to award the company a £370,000 grant.
Professor Alan McNeill, consultant urological surgeon at Western General and trustee of the charity Prostate Scotland, said: “This is the most common cancer in men but, if caught early while the cancer remains within the prostate, it can be cure”. in most cases.’
Gary Tait, chairman of the Edinburgh and Lothian Prostate Cancer Support Group, said: “We fully support the development of this new technology which raises the prospect of allowing more men to be diagnosed and treated earlier than currently.