Prostate cancer spit test could save the NHS £500 million a year – ICR

The Institute of Cancer Research shared on LinkedIn:

“NEWS: Prostate cancer spit test could save the NHS £500 million a year.

A new study, led by the ICR, will look at whether a simple saliva test can help pick up prostate cancer when it is easier and cheaper to treat. Health Secretary Rt. Hon. Wes Streeting MP hailed the at-home test as the ‘holy-grail of healthcare’.

The research team previously showed that their saliva test is more accurate at identifying future risk of prostate cancer for men at higher-risk than the current standard blood test, which measures PSA levels.

Now, they have developed an updated version of the test which can be used for diverse populations and younger groups. The study will look at whether the PRODICT saliva test can speed up prostate cancer diagnoses and save the NHS money.

Ian Mason, 66, from Oxfordshire was diagnosed with prostate cancer in April, four years after joining the team’s earlier trial into the saliva test. The test detected that he is in the top 10% for prostate cancer risk.

‘Whilst on the trial I had yearly PSA tests and MRI scans and in April I received the news that I had prostate cancer. Shortly after my diagnosis I was treated with surgery at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, and I have since been recovering well. I’m incredibly grateful that due to the simple saliva test my risk was identified and I was closely monitored, and I was therefore diagnosed at a treatable stage.’

Read more here.”

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