Replies to post #5535 on Opko Health Inc (OPK)

[terry hallinan]

4 k scores face competitions such as PCA3 , PHI tests , etc .

They do wonders for urologists' and other surgeons' incomes but not so much for men who would rather not wear diapers for the rest of their lives.

Such public-spirited medicine men have been very successful in fighting 4KScore but indications are the much-battered truth is getting out.

http://4kscore.com/

How does the 4KScore Test minimize unnecessary prostate biopsies?

The 4Kscore Test has undergone extensive clinical research and laboratory test validation. Based on the results of clinical studies, as many as 30% to 58% of biopsies are avoidable using the 4Kscore Test.

http://www.medicinenet.com/4kscore_test/article.htm#how_does_the_4kscore_test_minimize_unnecessary_prostate_biopsies

Several European studies, including the European Randomized Study of Screening for Prostate Cancer (ERSPC), showed that the 4Kscore could be used to tell the difference between a low-grade tumor and an aggressive, high-grade tumor.

“The results were very similar in both the European and US groups—high accuracy in detecting high-grade disease and significant reductions in biopsy. The main difference is the studies in Europe were done retrospectively on archived blood and most men only had six core biopsies. This study was done prospectively on fresh blood and men followed the standard of care in the United States,” Punnen told Cancer Network.

While validated in European studies, the current study is the first prospective assessment on a US population. Initial results from this study were presented at the 2014 American Urological Association Annual Scientific Meeting.

Although the test has now been extensively studied in both the United States and Europe, said Punnen, further validation studies are still being planned.

“We need to encourage the use of these markers in clinical practice to allow us to focus our screening efforts on men most at risk for bad cancer. Right now many indolent cancers are being diagnosed and unnecessarily treated. These tests will allow us to better discriminate between the aggressive and indolent types of prostate cancer,” said Punnen.

http://www.cancernetwork.com/asco-genitourinary-cancers-symposium/study-confirms-4kscore-accurately-predicts-high-grade-prostate-cancer

Further studies continue to show the same efficacy but no one can deny special interests haven't put up one hell of a fight.

Best, Terry