Test Gives Warning Of Spread Of Cancer

A new test that detects the genetic footprints of cancer cells gives an earlier warning when cancer has spread beyond the prostate, researchers say.

It could indicate which newly diagnosed patients should be treated right away to suppress cancer outside the prostate, and maybe spare some men from having unnecessary surgery, said Dr. Anna Ferrari of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

Prostate cancer is the second leading cancer killer in American men, with an expected death toll this year of 39,200. Some 184,500 cases are expected to be diagnosed this year.

If it’s caught while confined to the prostate, it can be cured by removing or irradiating the prostate.

Currently, doctors must look at nearby lymph nodes under a microscope to see if there’s any sign that cancer has spread there. If not, the cancer is considered to be localized.

The problem is that the cancer can escape the prostate and come back in about a third of those cases, appearing in such places as the lymph nodes or bones.