NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Testing for the prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) in urine may improve screening for prostate cancer, new research suggests.
Screening for prostate cancer usually involves measuring a protein in the blood called prostate specific antigen or PSA. High PSA levels suggest that cancer may be present and a biopsy is then performed to confirm the diagnosis.
Unfortunately, in some men with a high PSA, the biopsy comes back negative, leading doctors to question whether the patient does not have cancer or whether the cancer was missed on biopsy.
Men with elevated PSA levels, but negative prostate biopsy results, present a diagnostic dilemma, lead author Dr. Leonard S. Marks, from the University of California in Los Angeles, and colleagues note. "Watchful waiting" with regular PSA testing is often employed, but this can create anxiety and may also result in unnecessary medical procedures.
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