Stockholm3 leads to earlier detection of prostate cancer, improved precision, and better health economics
In the latest edition of European Urology Open Sciences, the Prostate Cancer Center at Capio St. Göran’s Hospital is highlighted for its well-invested and structured model for prostate cancer diagnostics. This model, based on Stockholm3 combined with MRI and targeted biopsies has been shown to significantly improve the diagnostic outcome and health economics.
The Prostate Cancer Center was established in 2017 with the vision of offering cost-effective prostate cancer diagnostics through innovative diagnostic methods and efficient processes. By using Stockholm3 as a reflex test for men with PSA values above 1.5 ng/ml, Capio St. Göran’s Hospital has streamlined the ability to detect prostate cancer early and minimized unnecessary MRIs and biopsies.
The recently published article in European Urology Open Sciences highlights the results of the Capio St. Göran model based on 12,406 tested men. It demonstrates how the use of Stockholm3 significantly improves diagnostic precision, reduces overdiagnosis, enables diagnosis at low PSA levels, streamlines resource utilization, and thus improves health economics.
Link to the article: The Capio Prostate Cancer Center Model for Prostate Cancer Diagnostics—Real-world Evidence from 2018 to 2022 – ScienceDirect
Highlights from the article include:
Improved diagnostic precision: A full 57% of men with suspected findings on MRI were accurately diagnosed with clinically significant prostate cancer. This higher precision allows for quicker interventions and improved treatment.
Reduced overdiagnosis: The Capio St. Göran model shows a significant reduction in overdiagnosis, with only 12% of patients diagnosed with low-grade prostate cancer.
Efficient resource utilization: By using the Capio St. Göran model with Stockholm3, 43% of all MRIs could be avoided compared to traditional PSA selection.
Diagnosis at low PSA levels: Cancer was also detected for individuals with low PSA levels (under 3 ng/ml). A full 56% of men with positive Stockholm3 results and PSA levels below 3 ng/ml were identified with clinically significant prostate cancer, highlighting the model's effectiveness for early detection.
Earlier detection and fewer individuals with metastatic cancer: The Capio St. Göran model with Stockholm3 leads to a 40% increase in the proportion of early detection of clinically significant prostate cancer and simultaneously a 22% decrease in cases of metastatic prostate cancer compared to other Swedish prostate cancer clinics. This significantly improves opportunities for curative treatment and reduces healthcare costs.
Improved health economics: From a Swedish perspective, implementing this model leads to improved health economics with a 25% cost reduction compared to current clinical practice and Stockholm3 plays a crucial role in delivering cost-effective care.
"The Capio St. Göran model, where the Stockholm3 test is an important part, shows that we can significantly improve the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer. It is particularly valuable to see how we can detect cancer at an earlier stage when the prospects for successful treatment are significantly better," says Professor Henrik Grönberg, Head of the Prostate Cancer Center at Capio S:t Görans Hospital and initiator of the innovative diagnostic model.
For additional information, please contact:
David Rosen, CEO
Telephone: +46 10 1823325
Email: david.rosen@a3p.com
About A3P Biomedical
A3P Biomedical’s mission is to improve quality of life of men by radically increasing the precision in prostate cancer diagnostics. The company’s lead product is Stockholm3, a blood test for early detection of aggressive prostate cancer. Stockholm3 has been developed by scientists at Karolinska Institutet and validated in clinical studies including more than 90,000 men. A3P Biomedical is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information, please visit www.a3p.com
About Stockholm3
Stockholm3 is a blood test that combines protein biomarkers, genetic biomarkers, clinical data, and a proprietary algorithm, to predict the risk of aggressive prostate cancer at an early stage. In clinical practice, Stockholm3 finds 100 percent more aggressive prostate cancers and reduces unnecessary biopsies by 50 percent compared to current practice with PSA (1).
Stockholm3 has been evaluated in clinical studies with more than 90,000 men. Data from the latest pivotal study, a randomized study including 12,750 men, was published in The Lancet Oncology in 2021. The study was also awarded the European Association of Urology (EAU) “Prostate Cancer Research Award 2022”. Multiple additional studies have been published in high-impact journals, including a previous study with 58,000 men, published in The Lancet Oncology in 2015 (1).
Based on robust peer-reviewed clinical data, leading Nordic healthcare providers have replaced PSA with Stockholm3. Region Värmland in Sweden has introduced general screening for prostate cancer with the help of Stockholm3 for men in the age category 50-75, who benefit from a more precise test with increased sensitivity and specificity. At the same time, healthcare providers can reduce direct costs by 17 to 28 percent (1).
(1) Publications, results and clinical validation.
About prostate cancer
Prostate cancer is the second most common male cancer, and the fifth leading cause of cancer related death in men worldwide. According to WHO, 1.4 million men were diagnosed with prostate cancer and 375,000 deaths were reported in 2020. Incidence of prostate cancer is expected to increase by 70 percent until 2040, driven by an aging population.