NHS Choices has carried out an assessment of press reports that a new test for prostate cancer “detects twice as many cases as the current method.” This story is based on a study in 288 men with and without prostate cancer, which assessed whether a urine test that measures levels of a protein called EN2 could detect the disease. Cases of prostate cancer had been confirmed through biopsy. The study found that testing for the protein could accurately identify 66% of men with prostate cancer, and correctly rule out the disease in almost 90% of men without the disease.

The assessment notes that this study has identified a potential new marker for prostate cancer, but the research is at an early stage, and more studies are needed. Studies would also need to examine how the test affects outcomes such as the numbers of deaths from prostate cancer, and the number having unnecessary biopsies. It conclude that “the newspaper estimates that the test will be ready within months are probably overly optimistic.”