Scientists Develop New Prostate Cancer Test Using Saliva

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research London (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have developed a new test for prostate cancer, The Guardian reports .

The publication notes that the new type of test will use human saliva. According to scientists, this method allows for faster and more accurate testing of a patient for prostate cancer.

"This test could be a game changer for prostate cancer. We have shown that a simple, cheap saliva test to identify men at higher risk due to their genetic makeup is an effective tool for early detection," said Rosalind Iles, professor of cancer genetics at the ICR.

Scientists and doctors developed the saliva test after studying the DNA of hundreds of thousands of men. It works by looking for genetic signals in saliva that are linked to prostate cancer. More than 6,000 European men were recruited for the experiment. They were all between the ages of 55 and 69, when the risk of prostate cancer increases.

After collecting saliva, the test calculated each man's polygenic risk score. The score is based on 130 genetic variations in the DNA code that are associated with prostate cancer.

The scientists noted that the saliva test produced fewer false positive results than the blood test for prostate cancer.

Rosalind Iles said the research would continue in the future. “Our next step will be to test the genetic markers we have identified that are associated with prostate cancer risk in different populations to ensure that this test can benefit all men,” Iles added.

As The Guardian notes, according to a study published in the Lancet, by 2040 the number of men with prostate cancer will double to 2.9 million a year, and mortality will increase by 85%.

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