Saliva tests carried out at home are better at identifying men who are at higher risk of prostate cancer than the standard blood test, new research suggests.The at-home test could identify genetic factors which make men more likely to develop the disease which claims around 12,000 lives a year in the UK.The study was carried out by the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.They hoped the findings could “turn the tide on prostate cancer”.The research has not yet been published in a specialist journal.The UK does not have a national screening programme for prostate cancer because blood tests are not considered accurate enough and can pick up non-life threatening forms of the disease over aggressive types.Researchers believe the cheap and simple testing method could help catch the disease earlier and save lives.”It is simple from the patient’s point of view… get sent a tube, put your saliva sample into it and post it off,” consultant urologist Prof Caroline Moore said.Specialising in the detection and minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer, she told Today on BBC Radio 4 what happens to the samples.”DNA is extracted from that [saliva] and analysed to look for a combination of genetic variations that are linked to prostate cancer.”The latest study involved more than 6,000 European men aged 55-69, an age bracket where the risk of developing prostate cancer is increased.The researchers then used blood and saliva tests on a smaller group of those men who were found to have genetic variations in their DNA indicating a higher likelihood of developing the disease.Preliminary results from the research show the saliva test produced …
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
[mwai_chat context=”Let’s have a discussion about this article:nnSaliva tests carried out at home are better at identifying men who are at higher risk of prostate cancer than the standard blood test, new research suggests.The at-home test could identify genetic factors which make men more likely to develop the disease which claims around 12,000 lives a year in the UK.The study was carried out by the Institute of Cancer Research, London, and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.They hoped the findings could “turn the tide on prostate cancer”.The research has not yet been published in a specialist journal.The UK does not have a national screening programme for prostate cancer because blood tests are not considered accurate enough and can pick up non-life threatening forms of the disease over aggressive types.Researchers believe the cheap and simple testing method could help catch the disease earlier and save lives.”It is simple from the patient’s point of view… get sent a tube, put your saliva sample into it and post it off,” consultant urologist Prof Caroline Moore said.Specialising in the detection and minimally invasive treatment of prostate cancer, she told Today on BBC Radio 4 what happens to the samples.”DNA is extracted from that [saliva] and analysed to look for a combination of genetic variations that are linked to prostate cancer.”The latest study involved more than 6,000 European men aged 55-69, an age bracket where the risk of developing prostate cancer is increased.The researchers then used blood and saliva tests on a smaller group of those men who were found to have genetic variations in their DNA indicating a higher likelihood of developing the disease.Preliminary results from the research show the saliva test produced …nnDiscussion:nn” ai_name=”RocketNews AI: ” start_sentence=”Can I tell you more about this article?” text_input_placeholder=”Type ‘Yes'”]
