Doctors at University College Hospital, Galway, have made a breakthrough in the early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
Building on work initially carried out at the Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in the US, the team of specialists has developed a new diagnostic test which represents a major advance for the Irish health service. The development will see the cost of investigating a possible case of prostate cancer drop from £3,200 to £110.
Prof Peter McCarthy, Professor of Radiology at UCHG and his surgical colleagues, Mr Hugh Bredin and Mr Michael Corcoran, have developed a method of detecting prostate tumours, which are the commonest male cancers in the Republic. The diagnostic test is much less invasive than the standard investigation, which requires a general anaesthetic.
As part of the new development, the radiology department at the Galway hospital carried out more than 550 outpatient procedures during the last five years. Initially, they developed a transrectal biopsy technique for use in patients in whom a screening blood test had indicated the possibility of a prostate cancer.
The real breakthrough came when the researchers discovered a method of relating the volume of the prostate gland to the level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) in the blood.
By marrying the two results, the Galway team developed a density reading, the application of which has improved diagnostic accuracy in the detection of prostate cancer.
The method means that far fewer men will have to undergo the worry and discomfort of a prostate operation. The accurate nature of the procedure, combined with a less invasive approach, represents a significant step forward.
According to the latest statistics from the Irish Cancer Registry, 1,150 new cases of prostate cancer occur every year. Prof McCarthy told The Irish Times he believes earlier diagnosis will lead to more effective treatment and the introduction of a national screening programme for the disease.
