A new 96% accurate test has been developed which could eventually be used to screen all men for prostate cancer.
The “game changing” test which checks DNA and proteins circulating in the blood has been backed by Sir Chris Hoy, whose own disease was detected late leaving him with a terminal diagnosis. The UK National Screening Committee, which advises the government, is reviewing prostate cancer guidelines and a trial is under way to devise the first national screening programme.
The problem is that the prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, currently used by the NHS when people have symptoms, is not accurate enough as a general population screening test on its own because it flags too many false positives. It comes a few weeks after food critic and BBC star Giles Coren announced he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Scientists at EDX Medical, the Cambridge-based digital diagnostic firm behind the project, say their test is more accurate . However Prostate Cancer UK cautioned that “many of these tests are still very early in their development and require robust testing”.
Professor Sir Chris Evans, founder and chief scientific officer of EDX Medical, said: “Every indication thus far shows it will be the most accurate and sensitive screening test available and will be transformative in tackling prostate cancer in men who may have no idea if anything is wrong with them. The incorporation of all these biomarkers into routine screening could revolutionise prostate cancer management by enabling earlier detection and more accurate risk prediction.”
Around 55,000 men are diagnosed every year with what is now the most common cancer in Britain. More than 12,000 men die from the disease every year.
BBC star Giles Coren, 55, told in his Times column how he received an abnormal PSA test result of four, which then increased to seven after follow-up tests. Doctors found less than a millimetre of cancer in just three of the 21 samples he provided. His cancer, which was described as a malign tumour, would need monitoring but “no treatment would be necessary for the moment”, he said.
The group of scientists based at Cambridge Science Park uses artificial intelligence to analyse blood and urine samples, looking for more than 100 biological markers. These markers include genes and proteins which have been linked to prostate cancer in previous trials. The current PSA test is more basic measuring only the amount of prostate-specific antigen in your blood. PSA is a protein produced by the prostate gland but in some people it can be raised despite them not having prostate cancer.
EDX Medical will be applying to regulators this year to start offering its test privately in the UK at the start of 2026. It will then also make an application for it to be used on the NHS.
The NHS is reviewing its own prostate cancer guidance after Sir Chris launched his campaign for more men to be proactively offered tests and at an earlier age. Currently men over 50 can ask for a PSA test from their NHS GP. If levels are raised they will receive further tests and scans. The six-time Olympic cycling gold medallist, who revealed in November that he has terminal prostate cancer, has branded this approach “dangerously outdated”.
Sir Chris argues that GPs should be told to have proactive conversations with those at higher risk – such as black men and people like him who have a family history of the disease – because many have the disease but no symptoms. The 48-year-old previously said: “Professor Sir Chris Evans and his team encouraged and supported me greatly after my initial diagnosis. I know they have some amazing people and a great commitment to finding better ways to diagnose and treat prostate and other cancers. I now know there is a need for better and more accurate prostate cancer screening tests and I wholeheartedly welcome this initiative.”
Prostate cancer survival chances have tripled in the last 50 years in Britain. Almost 100% of men diagnosed at stage 1 are still alive five years later compared to 48% of those diagnosed at stage 4.
The TRANSFORM trial led by Imperial College is looking at whether it is beneficial to offer general population screening for prostate cancer rather than waiting for them to come forward with symptoms. It is evaluating tests which use genetic markers combined with MRI scans.
Simon Grieveson, the assistant director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, told the Telegraph : “We very much welcome advancements that may lead to more accurate and earlier diagnoses; however, many of these tests are still very early in their development and require robust testing in clinical trials before we can know with any certainty just how useful they may be.”
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