A recent study confirms that the Stockholm3 blood test is equally effective at detecting prostate cancer in various ethnic groups, outperforming the current PSA standard.
The Stockholm3 test, designed in Sweden, combines protein and genetic markers from a blood sample using an algorithm to determine the likelihood of a patient having clinically significant cancer.
Research involving over 90,000 men has shown that the Stockholm3 test provides superior results compared to the conventional PSA test. It enhances prostate cancer diagnosis by minimizing unnecessary MRI scans and biopsies, and by detecting significant cancers in men with low or normal PSA levels.
While previous studies mainly focused on a White population in Scandinavia, a recent study by a Swedish-American research group assessed the test’s effectiveness in a diverse group of men in the USA and Canada.
The study involved more than 2,000 men from 17 clinics, including 16% Asian, 24% African-American, 14% Latin American, and 46% White American participants. All participants were referred for a prostate biopsy based on elevated PSA levels, abnormal rectal exams, MRI findings, or other suspicious clinical indications.
Prior to the biopsy, a blood test along with relevant clinical data for the Stockholm3 test was conducted without knowledge of the biopsy results.
The analysis revealed that 29% of men had clinically relevant prostate cancer cases, with slightly higher rates in African Americans and lower rates in Asians. The Stockholm3 test significantly reduced unnecessary biopsies by nearly 45% (673 compared to 1,226) while maintaining its ability to detect clinically relevant cases, with consistent results across all ethnic groups.
“The study confirms that the Stockholm3 test is as effective in ethnically diverse populations as it is in the White, Swedish population,” stated lead author Hari T. Vigneswaran, a doctor and PhD student at Karolinska Institutet.
He emphasized that this research addresses critical questions and will likely contribute to broader adoption of the Stockholm3 test globally.
The study was supported by the Swedish Research Council, the Swedish Cancer Society, and A3P Biomedical, the company managing Stockholm3 test development. Several authors, including Vigneswaran, hold positions at A3P Biomedical, while others have financial ties to pharmaceutical companies unrelated to the Stockholm3 test.
