Will there be a PSA replacement?
In the recent Urology Journal, an experimental blood test is shown to detect prostate cancer so accurately that it may replace the PSA level as the preferred screening tool for the disease.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore discovered an early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA-2) that functions as a biomarker and was shown to identify 78% of men who had prostate cancer with currently normal PSA levels <2.5 ng/mL
This biomarker would be more specific and a better early indicator if future studies validate these results. Medicare and insurance carriers will be waiting to pay for this test until the sensitivity and specificity have shown it to be an adequate screening tool.
Patients may ask for the test and pay for it out of pocket, but it will be expensive for a while. Whether the cost benefit ratio is beneficial has yet to be proved.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore discovered an early prostate cancer antigen (EPCA-2) that functions as a biomarker and was shown to identify 78% of men who had prostate cancer with currently normal PSA levels <2.5 ng/mL
This biomarker would be more specific and a better early indicator if future studies validate these results. Medicare and insurance carriers will be waiting to pay for this test until the sensitivity and specificity have shown it to be an adequate screening tool.
Patients may ask for the test and pay for it out of pocket, but it will be expensive for a while. Whether the cost benefit ratio is beneficial has yet to be proved.
posted by Anonymous at 6:05 AM
3 Comments:
I don't know how accurate PSA's are, so this new test does not excite me a whole lot. If this new test will do away with the OTHER "test", now that would be good news!!
Sorry, but the old standby "digital" exam is still recommended in addition to any and all blood tests.
The feel of the prostate gland is still very important and there is only one way to do that.
Sorry!
Darn.
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