New Blood Test for Early Detection of High-Risk Prostate Cancer

A promising new blood test may help detect high-risk prostate cancer cases earlier. Named Stockholm3, this test has shown to be more effective in clinical trials than the traditional prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test.

Researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute conducted a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, examining the test’s performance on over 12,000 men aged between 50 and 74, primarily from Sweden and Europe.

All participants underwent both PSA and Stockholm 3 testing, followed for two years. During this follow-up, 443 men were diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer.

The findings revealed that Stockholm 3 identified 90% of malignant cases, while the PSA test detected only 74%.

In comparison, Stockholm 3 missed significantly fewer serious cancer cases than PSA, and the number of men inaccurately deemed high risk was about the same for both tests, as noted in a recent press release.

Torgeldur Palsdóttir, a researcher in medical epidemiology and biostatistics at the institute, commented that one of the major challenges regarding prostate cancer is pinpointing genuinely dangerous cases.

She further added, “Our results illustrate that Stockholm 3 is capable of identifying far more aggressive cancer cases than PSA without increasing unnecessary follow-ups.”

These encouraging results suggest that prostate cancer screening might evolve. Improved blood tests could facilitate early detection of malignant diseases while reducing unnecessary tests and procedures.

Dr. Hari Vigneswaran, a co-author of the study and the chief medical officer of A3P Biomedical, the company behind Stockholm 3, remarked on these findings in an interview, pointing out that PSA has been the go-to for prostate cancer screening since the 1990s, despite its recognized limitations.

He acknowledged that reliance on PSA can lead to invasive and costly follow-ups, contributing to the overdiagnosis of less harmful cancers and missing a significant number of high-grade cases.

When detected at an early stage, prostate cancer has a five-year survival rate close to 100%, underscoring the critical nature of early detection.

Vigneswaran emphasized the importance of finding treatable cancers early without increasing the number of men who screen positive but don’t actually have aggressive disease. He noted that data from the National Cancer Institute’s SEER database indicates an increase in metastatic prostate cancer over the last decade, highlighting stagnation in improving early detection of aggressive, treatable disease.

While Stockholm 3 shows promise, there are limitations. It remains an investigational device and isn’t yet available for sale in the U.S. Although it estimates a man’s risk of advanced prostate cancer, a biopsy is still required to confirm diagnosis.

The company intends to seek FDA approval for routine screening and plans to compile the necessary evidence, including data from the U.S.