NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — For men who are worried about prostate cancer, a test just became available that could help detect it without an invasive rectal exam.
It's part of an effort years in the making for Dr. Jeff Tosoian, an associate professor of Urology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
"It really removes a lot of the discomfort from the idea of undergoing testing for prostate cancer,” Dr. Tosoian said.
The test allows some men to swap an uncomfortable prostate exam and biopsy with a simple urine collection.
According to Tosoian, detecting prostate cancer begins with a blood test patients typically receive from their primary care physician.
"We have a very good test for it, the P.S.A. blood test, which will be elevated in most men with prostate cancer. The problem is that it's also elevated in many men who do not have prostate cancer, and so in the past, all of those men would be subjected to undergo a prostate biopsy," Tosoian said.
Tosoian has spent years working to make this test happen and for good reason.
“My dad, was actually diagnosed with prostate cancer very young, in his 40s, and so I started prostate cancer research as an undergraduate,” Tosoian said.
This latest version of the test became available for use in February.
Click here for more information information about it.
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