The recurrence of prostate cancer can now be detected 14.8 months sooner than existing clinical practices with new technology developed by a professor at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind.
The technology analyzes data and patient-specific measurements to develop forecasts of prostate-specific antigens, also known as PSA, a substance which can predict cancer recurrence after a patient has already undergone radiation treatments, according to an Oct. 9 news release shared with Becker's.
"The PSA data is used in conjunction with the model to obtain patient-specific parameters that determine the PSA dynamics and serve as classifiers for recurrence," Hector Gomez, PhD, a professor at Purdue who led the research stated in the release. "In addition to recurrence identification, our model can be used for designing personalized PSA monitoring strategies. It can tell physicians the right time to investigate tumor recurrences and maximize the window of curability."
As of now, the model only works for patients who have received radiation, but no other treatments for prostate cancer, Dr. Gomez explained. The university's Office of Technology Commercialization, has applied for a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to protect the model.