Researchers from Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Centre, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, and other institutions have developed a new urine-based test to identify prostate cancer, potentially reducing the reliance on invasive biopsies.
The test utilises biomarkers found in urine to detect the disease and was partially supported by funding from the US National Institutes of Health.
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The study analysed urine samples from both prostate cancer patients and healthy individuals, identifying three key biomarkers, namely TTC3, H4C5, and EPCAM, that were effective in detecting prostate cancer.
The biomarkers, present before prostate-removal surgery but nearly absent post-surgery, were confirmed to originate in prostate tissue.
Senior study author Ranjan Perera said: 鈥淭his new biomarker panel offers a promising, sensitive, and specific, noninvasive diagnostic test for prostate cancer.
鈥淚t has the potential to accurately detect prostate cancer, reduce unnecessary biopsies, improve diagnostic accuracy in PSA-negative patients, and serve as the foundation for both laboratory-developed and in vitro diagnostic assays.鈥�
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By GlobalDataCurrently, prostate cancer is often detected through blood tests measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels, which can lead to biopsies if results are abnormal.
Many biopsies prove negative and can cause complications while PSA tests may also result in unnecessary treatment for low-grade cancers.
The new biomarker panel is said to detect prostate cancer even when PSA levels are normal and can differentiate between cancer and conditions like prostatitis and benign prostatic hyperplasia.
Study co-author Vipul Patel said: 鈥淭his test has the potential to help physicians improve diagnostic accuracy of prostate cancer, reducing unnecessary interventions while allowing early treatment for those who need it.
鈥淥n behalf of physicians and patients globally, I advocate for further study and progress for these biomarkers.鈥�
Researchers examined 341 initial urine samples and an additional 1,055 for test validation.
They used techniques such as RNA sequencing and qPCR to analyse gene expression and confirmed the findings with immunohistochemistry and statistical analysis.
From the 815 prostate-specific genes initially identified, researchers narrowed down to the three top-performing biomarkers for further analysis.
The biomarkers showed higher expression in cancer patients compared to healthy individuals and diminished after surgery.
Future steps include independent trials and developing the test for clinical use. A patent has been filed, and efforts are underway to commercialise the technology with assistance from Johns Hopkins Technology Ventures.
The research received support from various organisations, including the International Prostate Cancer Foundation and the Maryland Innovation Initiative Grant.
Study co-author Christian Pavlovich said: 鈥淭here is a real need for non-PSA-based biomarkers for prostate cancer, and urine is quite easy to collect in the clinic.
鈥淢ost urologists feel that an accurate urinary biomarker would be a valuable addition to our current diagnostic armamentarium.鈥�
Last month, a research team comprising experts from Johns Hopkins demonstrated that the early signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can be detected with a blood test up to a decade before the clinical symptoms emerge.
