A spit test to predict prostate cancer risk could save the NHS £500million a year by catching thousands of cases earlier, according to researchers.
The pioneering at-home method calculates a patient’s risk of developing prostate cancer by extracting DNA from saliva.
Patients who are flagged can then be sent for further checks, allowing them to be diagnosed earlier when treatment is more likely to be successful.
The NHS is launching a £2million trial that will see 1,000 men aged 40 to 55 take the test.
Previous studies have shown it was more accurate at predicting future prostate cancer risk among high-risk men than the standard PSA test.
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Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the test as a potential “holy grail”.
He said: “From the comfort of your own home, you’ll be able to do a simple test that could save your life, before cancer has even developed. This is the holy grail for the future of healthcare.”
The test looks for more than 400 genetic variants which have been linked to the disease. More than 52,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer each year in the UK.
Around one in four cases are only found at a later stage, requiring more extensive treatments which cost the NHS around £650million per year.
Researchers at The Institute of Cancer Research in London said the PRODICT spit test could help identify up to 12,350 cases earlier annually, saving lives and around £500million per year.
Professor Ros Eeles, professor of oncogenetics at the ICR and a consultant at The Royal Marsden, said: “With our simple to collect, at-home, spit test, we hope not only to extend the lives of people diagnosed with prostate cancer, but also to save the NHS a significant amount of money.
“Too many men are diagnosed with prostate cancer at a late stage, when it is less likely to be curable and requires intensive, expensive, treatment.
“We desperately need a screening programme for prostate cancer that picks up the men at risk of aggressive cancers who need further tests, but spares the men who are at lower risk from unnecessary treatments.”
The saliva test was initially developed for men of European heritage, but has now been expanded with more genetic data so it can be rolled out across diverse populations.
Dr Eeles added: “If our PRODICT test is successful, it could revolutionise healthcare as the first of many saliva tests provided to patients in primary care for a range of diseases, identifying people who will need further treatments by looking for variants in their DNA.”
Professor Peter Johnson, NHS England national clinical director for cancer, said: “We know that if we are to improve people’s chances of overcoming cancer we need to find better ways to detect and diagnose it as early as possible.
“The UK Government’s Cancer Programme, delivered by OLS, is investing in a range of promising technologies to expand our research in this field.
“The projects we are funding with the NIHR will accelerate the progress from the laboratory into clinical testing, to make sure the UK is exploring all the potential in our Life Sciences sector to help patients and support new inventions.”