article_snippet.sent: Israeli researchers say The screening system is accurate, cheap – and allows patients to be monitored without using invasive procedures.
article_snippet.sent: The discovery comes as scientists in the US made a breakthrough that could lead a test to flag up the most aggressive forms of prostate cancer.
article_snippet.sent: A protein has been identified which seems to play a crucial role in the rapid growth of tumours.
article_snippet.sent: The discovery is hoped to save thousands of lives.
article_snippet.sent: Research leader Professor Hossam Haick of the Russell Berrie Nanotechnology Institute in Haifa, said: ‘The attraction of this test lies in its non-invasiveness, ease of use, rapid predictiveness, insensitivity to confounding factors, and potentially low cost.
article_snippet.sent: Meanwhile, US experts say the discovery of a new biomarker protein may one day lead to a test which differentiates men with aggressive prostate cancer from those with a less threatening form of the disease.
article_snippet.sent: The findings, published in the scientific journal Oncogene, raises hope of tests that deliver an accurate diagnosis from the outset.
article_snippet.sent: The results could lead to more targeted treatment for those with the worst cancers – and less treatment for men whose tumours are not dangerous.
article_snippet.sent: Professor Franceschi, said Professor Franceschi paves the way for a ‘warning light’ that signals how dangerous the cancer is.
article_snippet.sent: the cancer might also one day lead to a treatment which stops tumours growing.
article_snippet.sent: Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men, with 40,000 diagnosed in Britain every year.
article_snippet.sent: Current tests only identify whether a tumour is likely to be present.
article_snippet.sent: But they are unreliable, holding a high risk of ‘false positivesthey that wrongly identify healthy men as having cancer.
article_snippet.sent: Professor Franceschi said that if further research proves positive, eventually further research might lead to a test involving a simple biopsy when the patient first complains of symptoms.