Prostate Cancer Detection Breakthrough: Non-Invasive Urine Test Nears Clinical Validation

Prostate cancer is a globally significant malignancy and one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among men in Hungary, with 4,000–4,500 new cases diagnosed annually24. Early detection is crucial, as timely diagnosis allows for effective treatment and improved outcomes. The disease presents a wide spectrum, from slow-growing to aggressive and potentially fatal forms, making accurate risk stratification essential for guiding therapy. Standard diagnostic methods include digital rectal examination, serum PSA testing, imaging, and tissue biopsy, but these have notable limitations. PSA testing, while helpful for early detection, has low specificity, especially in borderline cases, leading to unnecessary invasive biopsies and potential overtreatment.

Biopsies themselves are invasive, carry risks of complications, and often result in negative findings despite elevated PSA. Some prostate cancers may go undetected due to normal PSA levels, increasing mortality risk. There is an urgent need for better biomarkers to distinguish indolent from clinically significant prostate cancer and to reduce unnecessary biopsies. Novel non-invasive urine-based tests, such as those detecting TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusions and tumor-derived cfRNA, offer sensitive and specific detection of prostate cancer-associated genetic alterations. These urine tests can be performed without specialist intervention, enable frequent and comfortable sampling, and provide valuable information for early diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and relapse detection, supporting more personalized and effective prostate cancer management.