4K Score Test Now Offered at Dr. Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center

NEW YORK, July 21, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr. David Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center is now offering the 4K Score test for prostate cancer screening.

The 4K Score is a blood test measuring 4 different prostate-related proteins that provides a percent risk score of having an aggressive prostate cancer. This new tumor marker is an optimized screening and diagnostic test for prostate cancer that assesses the risk of prostate cancer to further indicate the need for a biopsy.

"The purpose of this new tumor marker test is to reduce unnecessary biopsies. Not every elevated PSA translates to the need for a biopsy. The 4K Score test was specifically developed to address the criticisms of the detection of too many low-grade, indolent prostate cancers. If we can identify the high-risk cancers early on, we can focus on treatment right away," said Dr. David Samadi, Chairman of Urology and Chief of Robotic Surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.

The 4K Score aids in a smarter diagnosis for prostate cancer, which then leads to the right treatment for each patient. The 4K Score tumor marker test also has created a major shift in the field because it improves and helps distinguish between high and low risk cancer through a simpler method versus a biopsy.

"The 4K Score is much more specific to identifying aggressive prostate cancer as compared to the PSA which has been criticized for resulting in a lot of false positives, since it's not specific to prostate cancer," noted Dr. Samadi.

This 4K Score test measures four prostate-specific kallikreins in the blood: Total PSA, FREE PSA, Intact PSA and Human Kallikrein 2 (hK2). Results are combined with patient age, digital rectal exam (nodule, no nodule) and prior negative biopsy results (yes, no). The tests then provides a % probability on a scale of 1%-95% for the patient having high-grade prostate cancer. The 4K Score is designed specifically to reduce the number of unnecessary negative biopsies that detect low-grade cancer. This means not all men who have an elevated PSA will require a biopsy. 

Dr. Samadi's Prostate Cancer Center is the only center in New York City using the revolutionary Uronav Fusion Biopsy System for MRI-Guided Biopsy. An MRI-ultrasound fusion biopsy involves taking an MRI and then fusing the data with real-time ultrasound images for guidance on biopsy procedures. The UroNav System combines electromagnetic tracking and navigation with an onboard computer and a real-time imaging interface in one mobile workstation. The MR/Ultrasound fusion aligns and registers prior diagnostic MR images with real-time ultrasound images.

"Now that we've moved from Ultrasound to MRI, in combination with smarter tumor marker and diagnostic methods, we may actually be to able crack the code and diagnose aggressive prostate cancer earlier. And of course, this leads to the right treatment for each patient," said Dr. Samadi.

Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer or an elevated PSA can contact Dr. David Samadi's center for a consultation and to learn more about the 4K Score test. Visit ProstateCancer911.com and call 212.365.5000 to set up your consultation.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150716/237618-INFO

SOURCE Dr. David Samadi

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