Prostate Cancer Foundation Canada
A new diagnostic test developed by Nanostics Inc could dramatically help men with screening for prostate cancer.
The ClarityDX Prostate Test is a rapid diagnostic tool for predicting the risk of clinically significant prostate cancer.
Desmond Pink, who is with the team at Nanostics that developed the test, says the traditional test, PSA, is a good diagnostic tool but in and of itself can lead to unnecessary biopsies. A biopsy can result in erectile dysfunction and incontinence. He says the PSA blood test does not work well in detecting prostate cancer.
Pink says the ClarityDX test provides men with more clarity. Most men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime.
He says if the cancer remains in the gland, that’s fine but problems occur when it m moves outside or metastasizes. That is the group that the test is aimed at.
Trials show that the new test can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies by about 35 per cent.