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Prostatype

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A novel genetic test to determine how aggressive the prostate cancer is to guide treatment options.

 

what is prostatype?

Developed by Prostatype Genomics from over 15 years of research, Prostatype is a test which allows the consultant to select patients who have an aggressive tumour and treat them, and separate those who have a non-aggressive tumour who can be monitored. It performs better than competitors D’Amico and CAPRA at predicting prostate cancer-related death, allowing the patient and consultant to make the most informed decision on the treatment or surveillance plan.

Adding the extra step of Prostatype onto the diagnostic pathway enables patients to be separated into active surveillance or treatment, reducing overtreatment and undertreatment.

how does prostatype work?

“Will I die from my prostate cancer?”

For some men, prostate cancer grows rapidly and spreads quickly, and is therefore a very serious condition that requires aggressive and radical treatment. However, in many cases, the cancer grows slowly and only requires active surveillance as opposed to treatment. In fact, around 20% of men die with prostate cancer that they were not aware of, as it didn’t pose a threat to the patient’s life or show any symptoms. Other prostate cancers start off slow-growing, but at later stages may cause pain or difficulties urinating as well as problems during sexual intercourse. These may become more aggressive and pose threat to the patient’s life.

The current methods for diagnosing and assessing the aggressiveness of the prostate cancer are heavily dependent on visual assessment and human interpretation. Decisions regarding treatments are therefore made using subjective and qualitative information that may not reflect the pathology of the individual patient’s prostate cancer. Because of this, a substantial number of patients are misclassified, resulting in overtreatment for some and undertreatment for others. This means that often the doctor and patient have a tricky decision to make - do they go ahead with treatment “just in case” it does progress?


“Do I need to undergo treatment for my prostate cancer?”


Using Prostatype, the consultant can gain more information on the likelihood that the prostate cancer will progress and become fatal. Samples from the original biopsy material are analysed for three mRNA stem cell biomarkers - F3, IGFBP3 and VGLL3. This information is analysed alongside the Gleason score, PSA, tumour stage and clinical data. The result is a P-score. The calculated P-score corresponds to a prostate cancer-specific mortality risk after 10 years, without treatment.   This reduces overtreatment and at the same time ensures that aggressive tumours are identified and treated quickly.

Compared to the EAU standard guidelines, 35% of patients can be reclassified into active surveillance, while 65% of patients gain confirmation that treatment is the correct decision.

what do the results look like?

The results give you a P-Score which tells you the aggressiveness of the tumour and translates to your risk of dying from prostate cancer in the next 10 years if you don’t have treatment.  Scores of 0-2 are classed as low risk and recommends active surveillance.  A score of 2-5 is a low/intermediate risk – you should be given the option for active surveillance, but you should be monitored more closely than the low-risk group.  A score above 5 would be recommended for treatment.  

Click here to see a sample results report.

why prostatype?

Prostatype gives benefit to every party involved in the patient’s journey, by allowing more accurate decisions to be made regarding treatment and giving the patient an opportunity to potentially be reclassified into active surveillance, which is especially valuable to those patients who would are keen to avoid treatment or who would be particularly vulnerable to the side effects of treatment.

Prostatype benefits all parties involved in prostate cancer diagnostics.

who is Eligible for prosatype?

  • Newly diagnosed patients who want to know how aggressive their prostate cancer is, and if they require treatment immediately.

  • Patients who have previously been diagnosed with prostate cancer and have been in active surveillance, who want to see how their prostate cancer has progressed and if it has become, or may become, aggressive. These patients will need to undergo another biopsy, so that the Prostatype test can be performed on a recent sample.

how to access prostatype

Via a private consultant:

You can access Prostatype through a specialist prostate consultant.

Private consultants who are currently offering Prostatype to their patients are:

If you are currently under the care of a another private consultant, you can request that they order a Prostatype test directly from us, by calling our office phone number or filling in the contact form. Alternatively, you can contact us yourself and ask us to arrange the test with your consultant.

If you are under the care of the NHS:

If you are currently under the care of the NHS, the test will need to be requested through a private consultant, as the NHS does not currently fund Prostatype testing. Some NHS consultants also provide private services, so it’s possible that the test could be arranged privately through your current consultant, if your biopsy was done recently on the NHS. Alternatively, we can arrange for a different private consultant to organise the test and consultation. Please contact us and we can advise.