Opko Introduces Prostate Cancer Test

Opko Health has introduced a new noninvasive predictive molecular test for prostate cancer. The test, known as the 4Kscore, is intended to reduce the approximately 1 million prostate biopsies that occur in the United States every year. Such biopsies tend to be uncomfortable for the patient, can lead to internal bleeding or infection, and lead to negative test results 80 percent of the time. Although some 238,000 Americans are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually, the aggressiveness of the disease varies widely. Long-term survival rates are nearly 100 percent up to stage three of the disease, making the need to undergo a biopsy debatable in many cases. The 4Kscore requires a blood draw and measures the serum levels of four different prostate-derived kallikrein proteins: total prostate-specific antigen (PSA), free PSA, intact PSA, and hK2. That, accompanied with a digital rectal exam, can provide an accurate “Gleason score” of equal to or greater than seven, which is the equivalent to a stage two form of prostate cancer. “We believe the 4Kscore TestTM will be an important benefit for urologists and their patients and may lead to lower overall health care costs,” said Phillip Frost, M.D., Opko’s chief executive officer. The test was developed in conjunction with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and more than two dozen urology centers in the United States. Takeaway: Opko Health has developed a noninvasive test that can eliminate virtually all of the health risks associated with prostate cancer biopsie.