Prostate news article, January 2006
WHERE MEN LOSE OUT Prostate cancer patients get a raw deal, but new treatments offer hope. By: Dr Simon Atkins |
When Ricky Gervais's radio advert about prostate cancer was initially banned until after the watershed for going a "squelch" too far, it spoke volumes about our society's embarrassment about this disease.
But the news from the frontline of cancer treatment is not all bad. At the Prostate Cancer Charity's annual conference in London today, Professor Roger Kirby, an eminent prostate cancer specialist, will outline some of the new leading-edge treatments. First, there's a genetic test, the UPM3 test. It would replace the controversial PSA, whose lack of specificity leads to many needless biopsies. The new test, which in contrast is highly specific for prostate cancer, instead requires a urine sample, avoiding the need for a biopsy.
The full article is available at:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1607159,00.html