Aussie company develops new prostate test

An Australian company says its new prostate cancer test is twice as accurate as the PSA method, which it hopes to replace.

Australian scientists have developed a new prostate cancer test they hope will replace the controversial PSA screening procedure.

The new test is said to be twice as accurate as the PSA (prostate specific antigen) blood test, which is notorious for giving false positives.

Initial trials in Australia have been promising, say scientists at Sydney biotechnology company Minomic, who have been working on the test for the past six years.

The company is conducting trials on 1200 US patients in 2014 and is aiming for a commercial launch in 2015.

The test is performed on urine and detects a protein found only on prostate cancer cells.

A blood test as well as a 15-minute quick test are under development.

Minomic CEO Dr Brad Walsh is optimistic the test will replace the PSA test within five years.

"The PSA test has been around for 30 years, but is responsible for large numbers of false positive results," he said.

"Our technology is more specific and has demonstrated ability to be almost twice as accurate as existing PSA technology."

He said the test was cheaper than competing products being tested around the world, some of which required tissue samples to be taken from the prostate.

"It is an Australian innovation with global implications."

The test could be a step in the right direction, said Associate Professor David Smith, a research fellow at Cancer Council NSW.

"We desperately need a more accurate test. Not only one that reduces the false positives, but also one that allows us to successfully identify and treat the aggressive deadly cancers.

"We need to test smarter and not harder for prostate cancer."

Professor Mark Frydenberg, Vice-President of the Urological Society of Australia and New Zealand said it was too early to predict whether the test would provide a viable alternative that was superior to PSA tests.

"This will be known only after further, extensive trials in multiple centres both in Australia and overseas."

Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia spokesperson Associate Professor Ken Sikaris said the PSA test had improved over the years.

"With the information we have available at the moment, it is questionable whether the new test is superior."