A new at-home spit test for prostate cancer may be better than current testing methods, a study has suggested, but experts say the evidence is "not there yet” to support a national screening programme.
Researchers have developed a new saliva test that analyses genetic variants in a man's DNA.
The test, which can be used at home, appeared to perform better than the current method for assessing prostate cancer risk, according to a new study.
The prostate-specific antigen test is a blood test that is currently used to check for prostate conditions including prostate cancer or an enlarged prostate.
Routine prostate-specific antigen testing is not offered on the NHS, but patients may be offered a test if a GP suspects they have prostate cancer, and men over the age of 50 can ask their GP for a prostate-specific antigen test, even if they do not have symptoms.
There have been an increasing number of calls for the test to be rolled out across the health service, and officials have been assessing the feasibility of a prostate cancer screening programme.
Some have argued widespread use of the test could identify cases which may not have caused problems or needed treatment.
The new saliva test could be used as an additional screening tool, experts said, as it reduced the number of false positive results and picked up a higher proportion of aggressive cancers than the prostate-specific antigen test.
This means the use of the test could lead to fewer men being sent for unnecessary testing.
However, Jenny Donovan, professor of social medicine at the University of Bristol, said: “The key criterion for screening from the National Screening Committee is that the benefit gained by individuals from the screening programme should outweigh any harms.
“And we think the evidence shows that we’re not there yet, and more research is needed.”
Freddie Hamdy, professor of urology at the University of Oxford, added the UK is “not an outlier” by not having a screening programme - with only Lithuania and Mexico having schemes in place.
Prof Hamdy also said because prostate cancer “grows so slowly,” previous studies have taken “20 years” to report back.
Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research in London and The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust wanted to assess the effectiveness of the new tool, called a polygenic risk score.
This risk score uses spit to assess 130 genetic variants known to be associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.
Experts concluded for the men with the highest genetic risk, the new test falsely identified fewer people with prostate cancer than the prostate-specific antigen test
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