AI supertest for prostate cancer screening ‘is game-changing’
Feb 17, 2025
Scientists have developed a prostate cancer “supertest” they claim is the most accurate tool yet for detecting the disease.
There is no routine screening programme for prostate cancer in the UK because some tests, including the prostate specific antigen (PSA) blood test, are considered too unreliable.
The new test, developed by EDX Medical Group, based at Cambridge Science Park, uses artificial intelligence (AI) to analyse blood and urine samples, looking for more than 100 biological markers. These markers, including specific genes and proteins, have been clinically validated as having a connection to prostate cancer in previous trials.
The test is the first to combine them into one tool. It aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of a man’s overall risk of prostate cancer, discover whether the disease is present and assess what stage it has reached.
It has been welcomed by Sir Chris Hoy, the former Olympic cycling champion who disclosed in November that he has terminal prostate cancer. He said there was a vital need for “better and more accurate screening tests”.
The company hopes to launch the test privately in the UK over the next year and said it could be used by doctors and “revolutionise” prostate cancer screening for men aged 45 to 70.
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