New blood test provides high accuracy in detecting PCa... Could this be the end of the biopsy for detection??

[NPfisherman]

A new highly accurate way to detect PCa... reducing needless biopsies and based on CTC's... I developed sepsis post biopsy.... This will speed up the process of finding PCa if adopted by Urologists...

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

The Science is Coming !!!

Don Pescado

[GranPaSmurf]

My concern is that this will result in even less detection. It'll cost more, be a little less accessible. Easy to postpone or just skip.

[NPfisherman in reply to GranPaSmurf]

Combined with PSA, it had a greater than 90% accuracy--from PCF about biopsy:

pcf.org/c/interview-with-an...

My biopsy was 1 of 16 needles, yet my prostate had 20% cancer involvement...for preliminary gleason scoring, there is nothing but the biopsy, but I believe with this test, and a PSMA or Axumin PET/CT, it will give everyone a real time idea of where you are with your PCa...

I got sepsis from my biopsy...no fan of the biopsy...it also is quite costly....Could the blood test and scan be done instead??...You will not get a Gleason score, but you would get some idea if positive for PCa with > 90% accuracy, and a scan that would show if the disease has spread... MD's will have to weigh the benefits and decide...

Thanks for the reply....

Don Pescado

[Drmaciej in reply to NPfisherman]

I used the ExoDX as my initial, then went forward with a biopsy with a PSA of 3.8. Gleason 6, 13 core biopsy, 3 positive, excellent genomics... very low risk. Went for Cyberknife M6 at Boca Regional. Next PSA tomorrow (6mth since blasting it)

[NPfisherman in reply to Drmaciej]

Best of luck tomorrow...Thanks for the reply....

Don Pescado

[cesces]

This will be a long time in coming to replace a biopsy prior to a procedure. Hospitals are very conservative about cutting and removing tissue.

Seems like catching floating cancer cells works even with non-metastatic cancer?

[NPfisherman in reply to cesces]

Indeed, circulating tumor cells do work well for detection... By doing the test, one can avoid the risk of sepsis/infection post biopsy...also, following up with a Ga68 PSMA scan or an axumin scan could tell if the disease has spread... The cost of biopsy vs the test and scan may be almost the same or very close....One does not get a gleason score, but that could be obtained later if RP is done...

Thanks for the reply....

Don Pescado

[cesanon in reply to NPfisherman]

The hospital culture will require the biopsy for the RP for a long time.

Probably the radiologists will be the first to forgo the biopsy.

Hospitals are really touchy about safety protocols before permitting any procedure that removes flesh.

[NPfisherman in reply to cesanon]

The blood test will confirm the cancer and the 68 Ga Pet/CT or Axumin will confirm if metastasis has occurred and will light up the prostate if cancerous... My biopsy was 1 of 16 needles and yet, I had PCa in 20% of prostate... I posted from the PCF site on biopsy in a reply above--see that reply....people with PCa have been missed by needle biopsy... it is not infallible...

The Science will lead us to our next step... The risk of sepsis will also have to be looked at in regards to biopsy and death from sepsis... This will all be decided in the next few years...

Thanks for the reply,

Don Pescado

[cesanon in reply to NPfisherman]

Yes, I know they missed important parts of mine as well.

[Bethpage in reply to NPfisherman]

My husband's tumor was missed by biopsy every single year from 2003 to 2014, including the last biopsy 3 months before his laparoscopic robotic simple prostatectomy - simple because all biopsies had been negative, but his prostate was over 100 grams. Surely this new blood test would not have missed the cancer 12 times.

[NPfisherman in reply to Bethpage]

Thanks for replying.... No...It would not have missed that many times...with over 90% accuracy for detection, it is much better than the PSA with Biopsy f/u....They got 1 needle of 16 on me with 20% of my prostate involved...They are looking at MRI guided biopsy as well...

Hope your husband is doing well....

Don Pescado

[Bethpage in reply to NPfisherman]

Don Pescado, I've saved your link to pass on to others whom it may help. There are a lot of biopsies that go wrong. My husband is doing well, thank you very much for asking. He was 71 yo at first surgery (simple prostatectomy, because we did not know that he had PCa), 74 at salvage surgery (should have not done this, but trusted a very well-known, well-regarded PCa surgery, and just finished 39 radiation treatments at 76. He would certainly not have suffered so many treatments had this blood test been available. We might not be dealing with this 5+ years later, either. Progress is being made. Thank you for the heads-up link.

[NPfisherman in reply to Bethpage]

You are most welcome... I am posting Science over here now...pretty much done with APC except as a lurker....saying adios to some of my friends... It is easier to function where there is an equal playing field and there is not one over there... I still reply to messages from followers, but post and reply no longer over there ...Nalakrats wants me to stay, but I think I can do more good over here...

Indeed, this test will be a game changer when added to one of the newer scans... Hopefully, the "hit or miss" biopsy is done soon...

Best of luck to you and your husband... May you both escape this hell ship !!!

Don Pescado

[TFBUNDY]

The test is not yet available. This is the reply from the company... So if you can find a hospital with a machine you can try them...

The instrument is only for research use and is not cleared for clinical use. We are currently only selling the instrument to research institutions.

[NPfisherman in reply to TFBUNDY]

No, but give it a few years...it is not like a med...the reality is it will be in clinical testing and within 3-5 years approved...tests are quick and this has benefits over the current standard... see Bethpaige's replies... biopsies are hit and miss...even with MRI there will be no guarantees...the beauty of the test with anaxumin or psma scan is that the met in the prostate will be clear and the benefit of finding possible other mets in body...

Don Pescado

[srose007]

Thanks for posting the article, very informative. Hope it is approved by the FDA and implemented sooner rather than later.

[NPfisherman in reply to srose007]

Me too.... My Uro thought it might be prostatitis and I was put on abx and NSAIDS for a few months...if this test were available, then maybe faster diagnosis and better prognosis... it is water over the dam now ...

Don Pescado