UPDATE: |Simple at-home test could transform ‘aggressive’ deadly cancer diagnosis News

The “life-saving” test could help to catch the cancer early and save the NHS £500 million a year

A simple at-home test could transform the diagnosis of a deadly cancer that kills 12,000 Brits each year.

Around 55,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year in the UK, and a new breakthrough test could help to identify those most at risk.

Prostate cancer is often called a “silent killer” as the disease causes no symptoms in its early stages and is typically diagnosed once the tumour has grown, and potentially spread. Most cases develop in men over the age of 50, with the disease more common in black men.

The test, which can be taken at home and does not require a trip to the GP, analyses genetic variants in DNA to determine whether or not a person is at high risk of disease.

According to new research, the spit test performs better than the current method of assessing prostate cancer risk – the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

The NHS does not currently offer routine PSA testing. Instead, patients may be offered a PSA test if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer or the test can be requested by men over 50, even if they do not have symptoms.

Experts have said the simple spit test could be rolled out as an additional screening tool, potentially picking up a higher proportion of aggressive cancers than the blood test.

Professor Ros Eeles, from the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, said: “With this test, it could be possible to turn the tide on prostate cancer.

“We have shown that a relatively simple, inexpensive spit test to identify men of European heritage at higher risk due to their genetic make-up is an effective tool to catch prostate cancer early.

“Building on decades of research into the genetic markers of prostate cancer, our study shows that the theory does work in practice – we can identify men at risk of aggressive cancers who need further tests and spare the men who are at lower risk from unnecessary treatments.”

Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust looked at 6,300 men aged 55 to 69 in the UK. The spit test identified 747 (12 per cent) men at a high risk of the disease, 468 of whom took up the offer of a prostate cancer screening, which includes an MRI scan and a biopsy. Prostate cancer was detected in 187 men.

The researchers said cancer “would not have been detected” in 74 of men in the study using the “diagnostics pathway” currently in use in the UK – which includes a high PSA level and an MRI – as the spit test picked up cancer that MRI scans missed and the PSA test alone did not.

Professor Kristian Helin, chief executive of The Institute of Cancer Research, London, said: “With prostate cancer cases expected to double by 2040, it’s crucial to establish a robust way of picking up clinically significant cases of prostate cancer at an earlier stage.

“The current PSA test often leads to unnecessary treatments and, more concerningly, fails to detect some cancers. There is an urgent need for a better screening test.

“This research represents a promising advancement towards that goal and underscores the life-saving potential of genetic testing.”

Researchers have estimated that the spit test could identify up to 12,350 people earlier, saving the NHS around £500 million a year.

Naser Turabi, from Cancer Research UK, said: “Right now, there’s no reliable method to detect aggressive prostate cancer, but this study brings us a step closer to finding the disease sooner in those people who need treatment.”

The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.