The prostate is a gland that is only found in men. It's about the size of a walnut and surrounds the top part of the urethra, the tube that carries urine from the bladder to the penis. It also carries semen. The first signs that a man might be aware that there are problems with this gland are a difficulty with, and sometimes pain in passing urine or having to go to the toilet quite frequently. For years there hasn't been any effective genetic testing for the condition.
Testing has involved taking a blood sample where doctors look for raised levels of a specific protein that leaks out of the prostate. This is the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
However, results are not conclusive. Particularly when you bear in mind that a man may have cancer but record low PSA levels. Conversely some men have high PSA levels, even when there is no cancer present. The genetic test hopes to do away with such ambiguity.
This genetic test for prostate cancer is called Progensa and it's been developed by Gen-Probe. It will measure the activity of the PCA3 gene, a gene that has been closely linked with prostate cancer.
It is likely to be a more reliable predictor than the PSA test because PCA3 gene levels are only elevated in cancerous prostate tissue.
One of the great benefits of a specific genetic test for prostate cancer is that it will do away with the unnecessary biopsies that men who suspect they have the disease have to undergo. These can sometimes be quite painful procedures. Currently if PSA levels are raised a doctor will send the patient for a biopsy. But as discussed, raised PSA levels are not a reliable predictor of prostate cancer.
In the UK at least, Progensa won't be offered routinely. It is much more expensive than the PSA test and health service funds are stretch and limited. But it will most likely be offered to those people who have a strong family history of prostate cancer, and offer them reassurance with a definitive result.