UPDATE - Issue 38 - Autumn 2009
Hope for new ‘three minute test’ for prostate cancer
Newspaper reports have recently been published about a new ‘three minute test’ for prostate cancer costing as little as £10. These reports are based on research led by Professor David Parker at the University of Durham into a test that examines prostatic fluid in a sample taken from a biopsy. Researchers have developed the test by using light energy to measure the level of citrate in fluid samples from the prostate gland. Citrate provides energy for cells and the amount found in the prostate varies considerably due to an enzyme which transforms it. This enzyme is very sensitive to zinc and, in prostate cancer sufferers, zinc levels are depressed and the enzyme switches on again.
Professor Parker said: ‘Ultimately, this could provide an accurate method of screening for prostate cancer in men that could be carried out in three minutes once a biopsy has been obtained from the patient at a hospital outpatient department.’
As the test is yet to be clinically trialled, any potential use in screening for cancer will not be available for several years. It is also important to look beyond the attention-grabbing headline and consider the practical implications of the test.
Professor Roger Kirby, Chairman of Prostate UK said: ‘Professor Parker’s group are to be congratulated for this ground-breaking research. It is of interest that the metabolism of prostate cancer cells differs from normal cells and this new test can distinguish them on this basis. The only drawback is that the test has to be performed on prostatic fluid obtained by biopsy, which is uncomfortable for patients and is associated with bleeding and occasional infections, which can sometimes require hospitalisation.’