University of East Anglia Pioneers Advanced Prostate Cancer Tests

Two novel tests for prostate cancer, currently being developed at the University of East Anglia (UEA), are considered a potential “game-changer” in the battle against the disease. Prostate cancer affects one in eight men in the UK. While the existing PSA blood test can identify prostate issues, it cannot differentiate between benign and aggressive forms of the cancer. The Norwich-based team has created a home urine-testing kit capable of determining a patient’s risk level, alongside a biopsy analysis method designed to distinguish the most life-threatening variants of the disease. Lead researcher Prof Colin Cooper stated, “It’s astonishingly exciting – this is potentially a game-changer both for the initial assessment for prostate cancer, and people who have been diagnosed.” While the vast majority of men diagnosed with prostate cancer experience a harmless form of the condition, approximately 10 to 15% develop a type necessitating surgery and radiotherapy. Sir Chris Hoy, aged 48, who is living with terminal cancer, has advocated for PSA testing to be made available to men younger than the current target demographic of those over 50. Cancer Research UK has highlighted the unreliability of current testing methods. The Prostate Urine Risk (PUR) test, conceived by Prof Cooper and his team, is a home detection kit intended to be mailed to patients for them to return for laboratory analysis. Prof Cooper explained that the results can provide patients with “lots of information” before they decide whether to consult a clinician for a PSA test. Prof Cooper further elaborated, “Whereas the PSA test is completely useless at detecting aggressive disease, the PUR will tell you the risk of having no cancer, of having low-risk cancer, or having intermediate or aggressive cancer.” The new biopsy analysis, known as the ‘tiger test’, aims to offer greater precision compared to current analysis, which Prof Cooper noted has “a lot of ambiguity.” This method involves examining a minute cancer sample, roughly the size of a pinhead, for genetic patterns that can assist clinicians in identifying whether it is an aggressive or “tiger” cancer. “The critical thing about both tests is they provide extra information to allow the clinician to make a decision on whether you should have radical treatment – a prostatectomy or radiotherapy. “It’s really vital we target our tests and treatment to the men that only need the prostatectomy, which can cause impotence and incontinence.” Prof Cooper concluded, “We think both tests are an enormous step forward.” There is an expectation that both tests could be trialed at the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital next year, with potential for expansion across the UK within two to three years. David Ellis, the UEA’s director of development and campaigns, reported that the research conducted at the Bob Champion Research Centre has received £8m in funding through grants and charitable donations over the past eight years. An additional £2m is required to support the accreditation process and the subsequent clinical and national trials. He added, “The news of Sir Chris Hoy has raised public interest and understanding, and there’s an opportunity here at the UEA to take a world-leading role in helping people with a much earlier, better diagnosis.”