Prostate cancer is the most common major cancer in the United States and the second most lethal cancer in men. A man is diagnosed every 2.5 minutes, and the incidence has increased seven fold in men aged 50 and younger, and tripled in men aged 50 to 59 since 1986. A man dies every 19 minutes from prostate cancer, even though prostate cancer can be cured when detected early.

Existing prostate diagnostics, such as the PSA biomarker and digital rectal exam, cause widespread underdiagnosis, overdiagnosis and overtreatment, with dire human and societal costs, Dr. Shtern said. Current diagnostics miss and/or underestimate the extent or aggressiveness of prostate cancer and lead to treatment failures in as many as half of all men.

False diagnostic alarms result in a staggering extent of unnecessary biopsies and treatment, costing billions of dollars each year. Up to 88 percent of all biopsies ??“ performed on more than 1 million men blindly and randomly each year ??“ do not show prostate cancer.

As many as 54 percent of men with early prostate cancer undergo unnecessary treatment and are left with life-altering complications, such as incontinence and impotence. Improved diagnostic tools, including more specific versions of biomarkers and advanced imaging tools to guide biopsies and treatment, will save lives, enable the least invasive and the most effective patient care, reduce unnecessary procedures, and decrease health care costs.

SOURCE AdMeTech Foundation