The European Commission recommends member states to implement organized screening of prostate cancer
September 26, 2022
As part of the EU Cancer Screening Scheme to be put forward under Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan, the European Commission has presented a new approach to support Member States in increasing the uptake of cancer screening. One key element of the recommendation is to extend organized screening programs to include prostate cancer.
The commission initially recommends prostate cancer testing in men up to 70 on the basis of prostate specific antigen (PSA) testing, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning as follow-up. In addition, the commission recommends the member states to consider introducing promising new screening tests, which are currently being evaluated in randomized controlled trials, once the evidence is conclusive and other relevant aspects, such as cost-effectiveness in the different healthcare systems, have been taken into account.
Stockholm3 is well suited to play an important role in this development as the test has been shown to significantly enhance prostate cancer screening programs. For example, the prospective randomized STHLM3-MRI trial comprising 12,750 men showed that Stockholm3 + MRI can reduce the number of MRIs by 36 percent and unnecessary biopsies by 18 percent compared with PSA + MRI. A Health economy study also showed that screening with Stockholm3 + MRI is cost effective and that 60 percent of all MRIs can be saved and the overdiagnosis rate can be reduced by 39 percent compared to screening with PSA + MRI.
Stockholm3 is used for public screening within the Region Värmland in Sweden.
“We see this recommendation as a big step forward as widespread prostate cancer screening will lead to earlier detection and improved quality of life for European men, and we believe that Stockholm3 will play a very important role in this development,” says David Rosén, CEO of A3P Biomedical.
About A3P Biomedical
A3P Biomedical is a company that specializes in advanced prostate cancer diagnostics. A3P’s main product, Stockholm3, is a clinically and commercially validated blood test for early detection and risk stratification of aggressive prostate cancer. A3P Biomedical is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.a3p.com
About Stockholm3
Stockholm3 is a blood-based test, that runs a combination of protein biomarkers, genetic biomarkers and clinical information through an algorithm to find the probability of clinically significant cancer at biopsy.
Stockholm3 has been evaluated in clinical studies including more than 90,000 men. It is extensively tested in large population-based screening trials, as well as in real world clinical utility studies in primary care, as a reflex test to PSA at values 1.5-20 ng/ml. Benefits include the ability to reduce unnecessary MRIs, benign and Grade Group 1 prostate biopsies for men with elevated PSA, while simultaneously improving detection of clinically significant cancers in men with low or normal PSA values. Using Stockholm3 leads to a more accurate risk assessment than the current PSA standard. Stockholm3 detects 40-90% more men with aggressive prostate cancer and, at the same time, reduces over-detection by 40-50% compared to PSA.
Multiple Stockholm3 studies have been published in high-impact journals such as The Lancet Oncology, Journal of Clinical Oncology, and European Urology. The studies address both the specificity and sensitivity of Stockholm3 in multi-ethnic populations as well as health-economic benefits of implementing it in clinical care. For more information about our clinical studies please visit www.a3p.com.
About prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men. In 2020, the global incidence of new prostate cancer cases was 1.4 million, and prostate cancer specific mortality 370,000. Global prostate cancer incidence and mortality is expected to rise by 100% and 85% respectively by 2040, driven by an ageing population.
Press contact:
Cecilia Edström
cecilia.edstrom@a3p.com
+46 72 226 2328