New Finnish study validates Stockholm3 and shows health economic benefits
June 9, 2022
At the NUF – Nordisk Urologisk Förening – congress in Helsinki tomorrow a new study that validates the use of Stockholm3 in Finland will be presented. The results of the study show that by using Stockholm3 instead of PSA, the number of men undergoing MRI and/or biopsies could be reduced. The study also shows that the medical benefits of replacing PSA with Stockholm3 can be achieved at the same – or potentially reduced cost in Finland.
“Several studies in multiple countries have shown that Stockholm3 reduces unnecessary MRI and biopsy examinations without compromising the detection of clinically significant prostate cancer. The aim of this study was to compare the distribution of test results in a Finnish clinical cohort”, says Henrikki Santti, Head Physician, Urology at Mehiläinen.
This multi-center, observational study included 1,310 men who were scheduled for a PSA test at Mehiläinen’s healthcare facilities in Finland, and who were asked to donate blood and answer clinical questions. The blood from 473 men with PSA ≥ 1.5 ng/mL was analyzed with Stockholm3, and the outcome was compared between using PSA and Stockholm3.
The results of the study indicate that by using Stockholm3 instead of PSA, the number of men undergoing MRI or biopsies could be reduced and that the medical benefits by replacing PSA with Stockholm3 can be achieved at the same – or potentially at a reduced cost in Finland.
“The results of the study were comparable with data from studies including more that 75,000 men in Norway and Sweden. This means that Stockholm3 might improve Finnish clinician's ability to identify patients at risk of having clinically significant prostate cancer”, says Henrikki Santti.
“Mehiläinen’s mission is to provide outstanding healthcare. We are offering Stockholm3 to our patients to fulfill that mission in prostate cancer diagnostics”, says Kristina Hotakainen, Director of Laboratory Services at Mehiläinen.
Abstract presented at the annual NUF congress in Helsinki:
Research confirms – Prostate cancer diagnosis improves with new blood test – avoiding unnecessary tests reduces burden on patient and healthcare.
Mehiläinen Group is a well-known and highly valued private provider of social and healthcare services, offering comprehensive high-quality services in Finland and internationally. 112-year-old Mehiläinen is a rapidly developing and growing leader in the industry. Mehiläinen invests in the possibilities of digitalisation and the effectiveness and quality of care in all its business areas.
Mehiläinen serves more than 2 million customers annually, and services are produced at over 670 locations by more than 29,000 employees and private practitioners. Internationally, Mehiläinen provides healthcare services in Sweden, Germany, and Estonia, as well as digital healthcare software solutions through its subsidiary BeeHealthy.
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