Blood test may spot prostate cancer without a needle
NCT ID NCT07755592
First seen Aug 10, 2026 · Last updated Aug 12, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This trial is testing a new blood test that measures tiny molecules called microRNAs to help doctors tell the difference between prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate. The study will include 500 men who are scheduled for a prostate biopsy due to suspicious findings. The test's accuracy will be compared to the standard PSA blood test, using biopsy results as the gold standard. If it works well, this could spare many men from unnecessary invasive biopsies.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- A blood test that measures a panel of microRNAs (miRNAs) in serum to help tell prostate cancer from benign prostatic hyperplasia.
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this blood test could offer a more accurate, non-invasive way to detect prostate cancer, potentially reducing unnecessary biopsies and improving early diagnosis.
- What could go wrong
- The test is still being validated and may not prove accurate enough in practice. It is a single-center study, and results need confirmation in larger, more diverse populations.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
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About 500 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Apr 2026
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Male patients aged 18 years or older visiting the urology outpatient department of Renji Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, with clinical indications for prostate biopsy due to suspected prostate lesions. Eligible patients present with abnormal PSA levels, abnormal digital rectal examination, suspicious mpMRI/TRUS/PSMA PET/CT findings, positive prostate cancer family history, or pathogenic prostate cancer-related gene mutations. A total of 500 participants will be enrolled, who will undergo transrectal ultrasound-guided prostate biopsy as the diagnostic gold standard to classify them into prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia subgroups.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Male participants aged ≥18 years Serum PSA \> 4.0 ng/mL confirmed by repeat testing with ≥4-week interval, excluding interfering conditions such as acute urinary retention, catheterization and prostatitis PSA within gray zone (4.0-10.0 ng/mL) accompanied by abnormal f/t PSA ratio \<0.16, PSAD \>0.15 ng/mL/g or PSAV \>0.75 ng/mL/year Persistently rising PSA on two consecutive tests with abnormal PSAV regardless of absolute PSA value Abnormal digital rectal examination (DRE): palpable hard, nodular, fixed or asymmetric prostate lesions, indistinct induration or suspected space-occupying lesions Suspicious transrectal ultrasound (TRUS): hypoechoic nodules, hypervascular areas or disrupted prostatic capsule mpMRI PI-RADS v2.1 score ≥3, especially lesions scoring 4-5 Elevated focal PSMA uptake on PSMA PET/CT (if performed) First-degree relative with prostate cancer and personal PSA \>3.0 ng/mL Carriers of pathogenic BRCA1/2, HOXB13 mutations with PSA \>3.0 ng/mL Prior negative prostate biopsy with subsequent sustained PSA elevation or new suspicious mpMRI lesions Unexplained bone pain or pathological fracture with elevated PSA requiring exclusion of primary prostate malignancy Aggravated bladder outlet obstruction with elevated PSA or abnormal DRE requiring differentiation of malignant obstruction Exclusion Criteria: Confirmed prostate cancer receiving radical surgery, radiotherapy, androgen deprivation therapy or active surveillance Acute bacterial prostatitis, febrile urinary tract infection or acute urinary retention within the preceding 4 weeks Prostate massage, cystoscopy, ejaculation within 72 hours; prostate biopsy within 6 weeks; transurethral prostate surgery within 3 months prior to screening Active concurrent malignancy or history of any malignant tumor within the past 5 years (non-melanoma skin cancer excluded) Severe Child-Pugh grade C liver dysfunction, eGFR \<30 mL/min/1.73m², coagulopathy (INR \>1.5 or platelet count \<50×10⁹/L) Unable to discontinue anticoagulants (warfarin, dabigatran, rivaroxaban) or dual antiplatelet therapy for ≥5 days Severe cognitive impairment or acute psychiatric disorder precluding independent informed consent, follow-up and biospecimen collection Participation in other interventional clinical trials within 3 months or concurrent observational trials interfering with study outcomes Hematological disorders including myelodysplastic syndrome and leukemia that alter serum nucleic acid stability Severe peripheral vascular disease hindering venipuncture or inability to comply with fasting blood collection requirements
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Renji Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
RECRUITINGShanghai, 200127, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- New MRI techniques could spare men from unnecessary prostate biopsies
- A sharper eye on prostate cancer return: PSMA PET vs. MRI
- AI may help spot dangerous prostate cancer and spare men from needless biopsies
- AI reads scans to spot prostate cancer, spare unnecessary biopsies
- Extra numbing shot may ease pain of prostate biopsy
- Community-Led push to catch prostate cancer early in black men