The container to collect saliva at home. Credit: Zsofia Kote-Jarai, The Institute of Cancer Research, London

Researchers at the Institute of Cancer Research in London have launched a study to evaluate a new saliva-based test, PRODICT, in accelerating the diagnosis of prostate cancer.

The research team has developed a genetic risk score from DNA in saliva to assess prostate cancer risk. General practitioners will offer this test to patients, with those at higher risk receiving further prostate cancer screening.

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The approach could identify an estimated 12,350 individuals earlier each year, potentially saving the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) around £500m ($653m) annually and improving patient outcomes.

Supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research’s Invention for Innovation, Early Cancer Diagnosis Clinical Validation and Evaluation programme, the £2m ($2.6m) study seeks to detect prostate cancer earlier in up to 1,000 individuals, including men, non-binary individuals and trans women aged between 40 and 55 from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

The PRODICT test searches for 400 genetic variants linked to cancer, enhancing its predictive capability.

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Participants in the study will be monitored over three years to determine if they develop prostate cancer and whether the disease is detected earlier than typically occurs.

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The research will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the test and identify any obstacles to its integration into primary care.

Institute of Cancer Research professor of oncogenetics Ros Eeles stated: “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 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 Institute of Cancer Research, London senior scientist Dr Zsofia Kote-Jarai developed the PRODICT test.