THe PCA3 gene test - carried out on urine samples taken after digital rectal examination - can identify men who are more likely to have a positive biopsy for cancer, as compared t o the predictive value of the PSA test alone.
PCA3 is a gene that is only expressed in the prostate and over-expressed by a factor of perhaps 66 times in cancers of the prostate. The higher the PCA3 score , the more likely it is that the patient will prove to have prostate cancer on biopsy. This test will help oncologists to select which men, with a marginally raised PSA, should go on to prostate biopsy.
Furthermore, it seems likely that the PCA3 test will also predict patients with a more aggressive form of the disease - research ongoing.
