SiMoA PSA test found a reliable predictor of Prostate Cancer recurrence

A clinical evaluation of the SiMoA Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, from Quanterix, shows that this digital immunoassay is a reliable predictor of five�year biochemical recurrence (BCR)�free survival following radical prostatectomy (RP) in patients with Prostate Cancer. To determine the ability of this test to predict five�year BCR�free survival following RP, researchers utilized frozen serum specimens from men who had undergone RP and who had no evidence of BCR using conventional PSA measurement methods. Researchers found that the PSA nadir value (lowest level of PSA following RP) was a significant predictor of BCR. A Kaplan Meir analysis demonstrated that 100% of men with low PSA nadir values did not develop BCR, whereas 63% of men with higher PSA values eventually recurred. The identification of a reliable predictor of recurrence soon after surgery has important implications for the frequency of PSA testing and selection of candidates for adjuvant therapy. The pilot study was published online by the British Journal of Urology International. However, earlier this month the US Preventive Services Task Force, which advises the government on health prevention measures, downgraded its recommendation on Prostate Cancer screening to a "D," which means it recommends against the service because "there is moderate or high certainty that the service has no net benefit or that the harms outweigh the benefits." It had previously said there was not enough evidence to make a call on the use of prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, tests that measure levels in the blood of a protein.