New prostate check is non-invasive

SCIENTISTS HAVE developed a “game-changing” test that can detect prostate cancer.

The new 15-minute scan means men can avoid having to undergo rectal examinations.

The prostagram treatment, trialled by doctors at Imperial College London, uses MRI, similar to breast-cancer screening for women.

Four hundred volunteers aged 50 to 69 were tested using the scanning method, as well as the standard prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test.

The prostogram was found to be better at detecting aggressive cancers than PSA in the four per cent of volunteers who needed treatment.

Around 50,000 men in the UK are told they have the disease each year and one in eight will be diagnosed in their lifetime.

Imperial College research fellow Dr David Eldred-Evans described the test as a “non-invasive,

safe and more acceptable way to test men”.

He added: “Unfortunately, men can often be put off from seeking medical advice for prostate issues because they are worried about the need for a rectal examination.”

He hoped the breakthrough would encourage more men to have a prostate health check.

One of the volunteers has now successfully been treated for prostate cancer picked up by the scan, despite it being missed by the PSA test.

Mark, 61, said: “Being diagnosed with prostate cancer picked up by the MRI was a bit of a shock. I had some prostate issues around seven years ago and had a PSA test and everything was fine.

“If I hadn’t taken part in the trial and just gone to my doctor, I would have accepted that my PSA test result was still completely normal.”