Simple £10 saliva test to identify the men with 50% chance of developing prostate cancer

www.mirror.co.uk ^ | Updated15:35, 12 JUN 2018 | ByMartin BagotHealth and Science Correspondent

[Red Badger]

A simple saliva test can identify the one in 100 men with a 50% chance of getting the disease and could be offered on the NHS to all men over 40 in a few years

The simple £10 saliva test could save thousands of lives.

It can identify the one in 100 men with a 50% chance of getting the disease, and the one in 10 with a 25% risk. The DNA discovery could mean most men not having to undergo invasive prostate examinations.

Professor Ros Eeles, of the Institute of Cancer Research, which led the research, said “it could save the NHS millions”.

She added: “We now finally have a genetic profiling test we can try on the general population. If it does pull out these men at higher risk, which we think it will, it will mean only 10% of men need prostate cancer screening tests and the rest we can leave alone.”

The researchers have identified 63 new genetic variations in DNA that predict the onset of prostate cancer.

It is the first time enough genetic mutations have been found to develop a test fit for clinical use.

Doctors are trialling it in London. If successful, it could be offered on the NHS in a few years to men over 40.

Those identified at increased risk in the pilot scheme will undergo MRI scans, a blood test and a biopsy.

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2 years later my PSA is undetectable and that means no prostate cancer.

The PSA tests for a specific body chemical. That chemical coats sperm, and weakens the cell wall of the egg. That chemical, if high in men, also weakens cell walls within the prostate, enabling the cancer to spread more quickly.