Prostate cancer can be diagnosed at an early stage with a simple urine sample. Thanks to the artificial intelligence (AI) An exhaustive analysis of genetic activity in tumors, new diagnostic precision biomarkers have been identified.
Prostate cancer is one of the most common causes of death in men worldwide. One of the main obstacles to diagnosis is the lack of precise biomarkers capable of identifying the presence of an early stage tumor.
A team from the Karolinska Institute (Sweden), the Imperial College in London (United Kingdom) and the Xiyuan hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences of Beijing (China) have identified new precise biomarkers. The results are presented in the ‘Cancer Research’ magazine.
When analyzing the activity of the RNM of all human genes in thousands of individual cells of prostate tumors, and knowing the position and degree of cancer of each cell, the researchers could build digital models of prostate cancer.
The models were analyzed with AI to identify proteins that could be used as biomarkers. These biomarkers were later analyzed in the blood, prostate tissue and urine of almost 2000 patients.
The researchers identified a set of biomarkers in the urine capable of indicating the presence and severity of prostate cancer with great precision. According to their calculations, they exceed the PSA, the blood biomarker for current clinical use.
“The measurement of biomarkers in urine offers many advantages,” explains principal researcher Mikael Benson. «It is a non -invasive and painless method, and can potentially be done at home. The sample can be analyzed later by routine methods in clinical laboratories ».
Large clinical trials are being planned for the next phase of the investigation. One of them is being discussed with Professor Rakesh Heer, of the Imperial College of London, co -author of the study and director of Transform, the National Study of the United Kingdom on prostate cancer, which offers a platform to speed up the analysis of promising biomarkers.
“New more precise biomarkers that PSA can lead to an earlier diagnosis and a better prognosis for men with prostate cancer,” says Benson. “In addition, they can reduce the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies in healthy men.”
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