Two new genetic tests may help better predict which prostate cancers are aggressive and need immediate treatment, and which do not need treatment right away, researchers say.
One test, called Prolaris and manufactured by Myriad Genetics, looks for specific genes that control a cancer cell's abilities to divide and multiply. Patients receive a score (between -3 and 3) that indicates how aggressive their cancer is.
The other test, called Oncotype DX Prostate Cancer Test and manufactured by Genomic Health, was released earlier this month and is also marketed as a test to predict prostate-cancer aggressiveness.
But experts say that although these tests do seem to help predict cancer outcomes, their usefulness to doctors and patients remains to be seen. Researchers still need to determine "how much added information these tests really provide, and how often it's going to really change how we manage a patient," said Dr. Judd Moul, director of the Duke Prostate Center in Durham, N.C.
In a review of five studies, researchers at Myriad found that the Prolaris test, in combination with standard methods of assessing prostate cancer — including the PSA test and the Gleason score — could better predict whether patients would die from prostate cancer than the PSA test and Gleason scorecould alone.
Both tests are expensive, and are not always covered by insurance. The Prolaris test costs $3,400, and Oncotype DX costs $3,820.
