New scan helps men avoid risky and painful prostate biopsy

Men with suspected prostate cancer could be spared painful and risky needle biopsy tests thanks to a new scanning technique that can detect tumours just as accurately, a new study has found.

Currently, if doctors believe a man is suffering symptoms that indicate the disease, he will first be offered a blood test that looks for raised levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate gland.

Although a higher-than-normal PSA level may be caused by cancer, it can also be the result of other benign conditions.

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