The Progensa PCA3 test screens urine samples for a gene tied to prostate cancer.. Your doctor or nurse will massage your prostate and then take a urine sample for testing. Unlike the PSA test, the PCA3 test is not affected by the size of a man’s prostate gland and so it may be particularly helpful if a man is already known to have an enlarged prostate. The test may show whether there is a greater chance of finding cancer on a repeat biopsy but this test is not completely accurate.
The PCA3 gene is present at abnormally high levels in 90 percent of men with prostate cancer. The new test is designed for patients who have had a negative biopsy test. A negative PCA3 test result would avoid putting the patient through another biopsy.
Joel T. Nowak speaks with Dr. John Wei from the University of Michigan at the 2012 AACR Meeting about the newly approved screening tool for prostate cancer, PCA3. PCA3 is a urine test that will be able to help a man who has had prior negative biopsies decide if he needs to have additional biopsies.
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