Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in men in Ireland and the Western world and a leading cause of cancer related deaths. Early detection is vital to eradicate suffering from this prevalent disease. However, early detection of prostate cancer is marred by lack of accurate tests, which means that the majority of men undergoing an invasive transrectal biopsy have no tumor diagnosed. Ongoing research in Dr Perry’s lab has identified a DNA signature which can identify from a urine sample, those men most likely to have an aggressive prostate cancer. This means that patients can be stratified into those that need a prostate biopsy to diagnose their disease and those who don’t. We have already shown in a study of 453 men that we can detect 85% of aggressive prostate cancers using our novel urine test (epiCaPture). The aim of this study is to try and improve the sensitivity of epiCaPture to >90% so that we can progress towards commercialisation. To do this, we will test an additional 7 genes, for which Dr Perry’s lab have already generated evidence for an association with aggressive prostate cancer tissues.
