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DiagnoCure partner launches new prostate cancer test in Europe

24 Nov 2006 - DiagnoCure announced that its partner, Gen-Probe, has launched a new diagnostic test for prostate cancer in Europe, based on DiagnoCure's PCA3 marker, which clinicians and researchers believe will prove to be much more accurate than current technology.
 
Gen-Probe's PCA3 gene-based test detects the overexpression of PCA3 mRNA in urine. Studies have shown that, in greater than 95 percent of prostate cancer cases, PCA3 is 60 to 100-fold over-expressed in prostate cancer cells compared to normal cells, indicating that PCA3 may be a useful biomarker for prostate cancer.
 
Preliminary data show that the PCA3 assay is more specific to prostate cancer than the traditional serum prostate specific antigen (PSA) test, thus decreasing the likelihood of false positive results. PSA is produced by both cancerous and non-cancerous prostate cells. Non-cancerous conditions such as BPH can therefore cause elevated serum PSA levels that must be investigated, resulting in unnecessary medical procedures.