New Movember-Funded Home Urine Test Could Revolutionize Prostate Cancer Diagnosis

TEST PREDICTS WHETHER PATIENTS WILL REQUIRE TREATMENT UP TO FIVE YEARS EARLIER THAN STANDARD CLINICAL METHODS

TORONTO, Dec. 2, 2019 /CNW/ - Movember, the leading global men's health charity working to change the face of men's health, today announced a new home-testing kit for prostate cancer, which could revolutionize the diagnosis of the disease, has been developed by Movember-funded researchers. Prostate Cancer is the most common cancer in Canadian men - 63 men are diagnosed, and 11 men die from the disease every day. The Movember-funded team pioneered the test which diagnoses aggressive prostate cancer and predicts whether patients will require treatment up to five years earlier than standard clinical methods.

The simple 'PUR' (Prostate Urine Risk) test can be performed at home which means men who take it don't have to go to the doctor to provide a sample or have to undergo uncomfortable rectal examinations, according to new research ⁱfrom University of East Anglia and the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital in the UK. The most commonly used tests for prostate cancer include blood tests, a physical examination known as a digital rectal examination (DRE), an MRI scan or a biopsy.

"Prostate cancer usually develops slowly and the majority of cancers will not require treatment in a man's lifetime. However, doctors struggle to predict which tumours will become aggressive, making it hard to decide on treatment for many men," said Dr. Jeremy Clark, UEA's Norwich Medical School. "We developed the PUR test, which looks at gene expression in urine samples and provides vital information about whether a cancer is aggressive or 'low risk'. Being able to simply provide a urine sample at home and send a sample off for analysis could really revolutionize diagnosis. It means that men would not have to undergo a digital rectal examination, so it would be much less stressful and should result in a lot more patients being tested."

"While it's still early days, the PUR test has enormous potential to transform the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer," said Dr. Mark Buzza, global biomedical research director, Movember. "This news is exciting, coming as we wrap up another very successful Movember campaign. Ground-breaking research, like the PUR test, are only made possible because of the incredible support of men and women all over the world that Grow, Move and Host for Movember each year."

The research team provided a small number of men with an at-home collection kit, and instructions. They then compared the results of their home urine samples, taken first thing in the morning, with samples collected after a digital rectal examination. They found that the urine samples taken at home showed the biomarkers for prostate cancer much more clearly than after a rectal examination. And feedback from the participants showed that the at home test was preferable."

Movember has agreed the next phase of funding to the UEA team which will trial the test on a much larger group of men. Methodology for the At-Home Collection of Urine Samples for Prostate Cancer Detection' is published in the journal BioTechniques on Friday, November 29, 2019.

For more information or to join the Movember movement today, visit www.movember.com.

About Movember
Movember is the leading global men's health charity working to change the face of men's health. The charity raises funds to deliver innovative, breakthrough research and support programs that enable men to live happier, healthier and longer lives. Committed to disrupting the status quo, millions have joined the movement, helping fund over 1,250 projects focusing on prostate cancer, testicular cancer and suicide prevention. In addition to tackling key health issues faced by men, Movember is working to encourage men to stay healthy in all areas of their life, with a focus on men staying socially connected and becoming more open to discussing their health and significant moments in their lives. The charity's vision is to have an everlasting impact on the face of men's health. To donate or learn more, please visit Movember.com.

SOURCE Movember Canada

Press contact: Jo-Anne Stayner, Fresh Public Relations/ [email protected] / 604-603-0657; Sonya Friesen, Movember Canada / [email protected] / 613-808-1702