The number of prostate cancer cases is increasing rapidly. Fortunately not all these tumors need to be operated - some are slow growing or indolent.

The question remains: how do we reliably establish which tumor is aggressive and which is not?

The answer may well be given by the PCA3 (Prostate Cancer Gene 3) test, a breakthrough in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. PCA3 is a new tool available in a simple urine test to help make better biopsy decisions - in combination with Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) - in the diagnosis of prostate cancer. It is available as the PROGENSA(TM) PCA3 assay in Europe and is the first gene-based diagnostic test in this field. It is an efficient tool to help decide if prostate biopsy is really needed to diagnose prostate cancer in men suspected of having the condition. PCA3 is, unlike PSA, prostate cancer specific. This means that the gene is only produced by prostate cancer cells and is not affected by prostate size. It discriminates better than PSA between prostate cancer and benign/non-cancerous prostate diseases such as benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH, i.e. prostate enlargement) or prostatitis (infection of the prostate). Therefore, PCA3 gives very useful information in deciding if a biopsy is really needed.