A new blood test may make it easier to detect the most dangerous forms of prostate cancer early.

In a large population-based study involving 12,670 men ages 50–74, researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden showed that the blood-based Stockholm3 test identified significantly more aggressive prostate cancers than traditional PSA testing. Stockholm3 detected 90% of aggressive cancer cases, compared with 74% for PSA.

Need for better methods

Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among men globally. PSA testing has long been used for early detection, but it is controversial because it can both miss aggressive tumors and lead to unnecessary further investigations and biopsies. The new results suggest that Stockholm3 may offer a more accurate alternative.