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.