Researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have developed a new blood test that could cut the need for prostate biopsies by half. Until recently, prostate-specific antigen tests were used to detect prostate cancer, but was found not to be very specific, and a biopsy was still needed to confirm the diagnosis. The new blood test developed is called the IsoPSA, which identifies changes at the molecular level for the PSA protein. It’s been shown to be more precise in screening for cancer (vs other conditions), and picking out patients with high-risk disease. More research still needs to be done, but if the IsoPSA becomes a valid form of screening, it could cut down the need for invasive biopsies and unnecessary treatments.
Read more: This New, Easy Prostate Cancer Test Can Reduce Unnecessary Biopsies By 50 Percent
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