A “breakthrough” test that uses dried blood samples could detect prostate cancer in 15 minutes or less, scientists believe.
Researchers at Aston University have developed a new method that analyses crystal-like structures in dehydrated blood.
Professor Igor Meglinski, from the university’s Aston Institute of Photonic Technologies, said the non-invasive technique can detect prostate cancer before symptoms appear with up to 90% accuracy.
He said: “This breakthrough opens new avenues for cancer diagnosis and monitoring, representing a substantial leap forward in personalised medicine and oncology.”
There is currently no national screening programme for prostate cancer and the standard blood test, which measures levels of a protein called prostate-specific antigen (PSA), is not accurate enough.
Further tests such as rectal exams and tissue biopsies are often needed to diagnose the disease, and can be uncomfortable and invasive.
For the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, the team analysed 108 dry blood smear samples from healthy volunteers as well as those who had prostate cancer.
The researchers examined the protein structures in the blood samples using a technique known as new polarisation-based image reconstruction.
They focused on how proteins change their 3D shape and join together during early stages of the disease, conducting a detailed layer-by-layer analysis of dry blood smears.
This step is crucial for identifying significant differences between healthy and cancerous samples, the researchers said.
Prof Meglinski said the entire process, including drying time, takes up to 15 minutes.
He said the findings had a 90% accuracy rate of early prostate cancer diagnosis, much higher than existing screening methods, and it holds “immense potential for revolutionising cancer diagnosis”.
Prof Meglinski added: “Prostate cancer accounts for nearly 10% of cancer deaths in men and is one of the leading causes of death in older men.
“However, the life expectancy of 90% of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer at stage 1 or 2 is 15 years or more.
“By enabling earlier and more accurate detection, our blood test has the potential to significantly improve outcomes and survival rates for many patients.”
The technique relies on blood samples instead of more invasive biopsies, so it is less traumatic and risky for patients, Prof Meglinski said.
But he added that the results are preliminary so larger clinical trials are needed to confirm the technique’s potential.
Dr Matthew Hobbs, director of research at Prostate Cancer UK, who was not involved in the study, said: “Over 10,000 men each year are diagnosed when their cancer has already spread and become incurable, which is why it’s so important that we find new and better tests for prostate cancer.
“The big issue is proving that these tests are better than what we have already.
“So far, this has been tested on a relatively small number of samples, so we’ll need to see more research before we can know how effective it will be.”
