Prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer found in men, and when caught early, treatment success is very good. However, it is difficult to diagnose prostate cancer in its early stages because it shows little or no symptoms. Only when it becomes more advanced does it begin to cause problems such as difficulty urinating and pain and discomfort in the pelvic area. Fortunately, there has been steady progress towards developing a non-invasive, urine-based test that can detect prostate cancer in its early stages.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center recently published research results showing changes to the chemicals found in urine from men with prostate cancer. Although additional testing must be done before the urine test is ready for clinical use, this is a significant progress towards developing a simple and noninvasive test for use in clinics, and one day, in homes.
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