Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in UK men, and a new case of prostate cancer is diagnosed every 15 minutes. This week we have heard of an exciting new development in the testing of prostate cancer. Although not available yet, the potential for a faster and more accurate diagnosis of prostate cancer is very good news for primary care.

When diagnosed early, prostate cancer is very treatable with a very good prognosis. This new test works by detecting a protein that is produced by cancer cells. At the moment, my clinic screens for prostate cancer by examination, clinical indicators, a blood test for prostate-specific antigen and further testing by ultrasound and biopsy. Although the prostate-specific antigen does sometimes give false-positive results, as a doctor, I would prefer false positives to false negatives! And in my clinical experience, it has been a good indicator for further screening, although I would emphasise it is not a diagnostic test in its own right.

I will be watching the development of this new test very closely.