Roswell Park Is Using cPSA Test for Prostate Cancer

BUFFALO, NY—Roswell Park Cancer Institute is offering a new blood test to detect early prostate cancer. The complexed prostate-specific antigen (cPSA) test appears to be more accurate than standard PSA at differentiating between prostate cancer and benign conditions, and thus may eliminate the need for unnecessary biopsies when PSA tests are ambiguous.

The cPSA test measures levels of PSA complexed with alpha-1-antichymotrypsin, which makes up the bulk of circulating PSA in men with prostate cancer.

“Currently, the cPSA test is only being offered as a follow-up procedure for men whose original PSA test didn’t clearly identify the need for a biopsy,” said John S.J. Brooks, MD, chairman of the Division of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at Roswell Park. “When a standard PSA test is in the ambiguous range of 4 to 10 ng/mL, the decision to biopsy a patient is unclear. A positive cPSA test suggests a greater chance of prostate cancer. A negative cPSA test would eliminate unnecessary biopsies.”

Roswell Park is participating in a collaborative study to help determine if the cPSA blood test should replace the standard PSA blood test in general prostate cancer screening programs. For more information about this test and other prostate cancer screening programs, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355).