A new clinical study, BEYOND-PSA, has been launched by Prostate Cancer Research with the aim of generating real-world evidence on the impact of integrating a more sophisticated blood test for prostate cancer within a UK clinical pathway.

The Stockholm 3 test is an advanced blood test that helps detect prostate cancer more accurately than the traditional PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test. It combines the results of several biomarkers, genetic markers, and clinical information, offering a clearer understanding of a man’s risk of developing aggressive prostate cancer.

Research in Sweden comprising some 12,000 men aged 50 to 74 found the test identified up to 90 per cent of clinically significant disease, compared with rates of 42 per cent detected using standard screening methods, which measure prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and assess risk using age-adjusted thresholds.

This study, the first of its kind in the UK, will initially be launched alongside a clinical service delivered at Nuffield Health Barbican Medical Centre. It will evaluate how the Stockholm3 blood-based risk assessment test can be integrated into UK clinical pathways. Where clinically indicated, participants will be referred to the NHS or via their private medical insurance for an MRI scan. If they cannot be referred by either of these routes, the participant will be offered a funded MRI scan at Nuffield Health Highgate Hospital. 

Up to 10,000 men are expected to contribute data to the study which is open to those aged between 45 and 74, with no previous diagnosis of prostate cancer and who are registered with an NHS GP.

Dr Jayne Spink, Chief Scientific Officer at Prostate Cancer Research, said: “Early detection is the most effective way to save lives, yet the current testing landscape means too many aggressive cancers are missed or found too late. We know that 14 per cent of all male cancer deaths in the UK are due to prostate cancer, and this figure rises to 22 per cent in Black men.

Men cannot benefit from innovation that sits on a shelf. If we want to know whether Stockholm3 can help detect more cancers earlier in the UK, we must put it to work within real clinical pathways and measure the impact. BEYOND-PSA will provide the scale of evidence needed to understand what this approach could mean for patients, clinicians and the health system.”