Prostate cancer biomarkers (PCMs) are molecules found in blood, tissue, or body fluids. PCMs are revolutionary new, non-invasive diagnostic tests that may help your healthcare provider decide if your prostate cancer is in fact low risk, if something more aggressive may be lurking in your prostate, or if there are hot spots in the prostate that may need to be re-evaluated upon biopsy. PCMs also can help you and your healthcare provider determine the most appropriate treatment for your cancer.

There are many factors that will make one prostate cancer marker test better suited for individual cases. Many times, individuals who have never had a biopsy or had low to intermediate grade prostate cancer (Gleason 3+3=6 or 3+4=7) diagnosed on a biopsy are well suited for blood or urine prostate cancer markers, whereas individuals who have persistently negative biopsies or a biopsy of intermediate to high grade cancer may benefit from tissue prostate cancer markers. Use this interactive questionnaire to see what tests may be right for you.  Once you’ve completed the questionnaire, discuss the results with your healthcare provider. Also be sure to check out our Patient Journey section that may help you decide which test is right for you.

If you have a negative or atypical biopsy and are wanting more insights about prostate cancer risk, you might consider the tissue-based PCM test:

• Confirm mdx

If your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score of less than or equal to 7 or if your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score greater than 7 and you have not yet undergone treatment (surgery or radiation), you and your healthcare provider might consider these tissue-based PCM tests: 

• Decipher Biopsy
• Prolaris 
• Oncotype DX GPS 

If your prostate biopsy has a Gleason Score greater than 7 and you have already undergone treatment, please see Waypoint 4 for additional PCM tests to consider.

Men who have a PSA score of less than or equal to 20 ng/ml and have organ confined, less than or equal to Gleason score of 4+3=7 prostate cancer found on biopsy could benefit from the Decipher genomic testing. However, the Decipher Biopsy test may be appropriate for any man post-biopsy regardless of his PSA, Gleason score, or the stage of his cancer to help him and his healthcare provider make a more informed decision about next steps.

The Decipher Biopsy test analyzes 22 RNA biomarkers associated with metastatic progression including: cell cycle progression, immune system activity/response, androgen signaling, metabolism and cancer blood vessel formation potential. Patients should always discuss the results of their test with their physician. In general, results of the Decipher Biopsy test are presented as follows:

• Overall genomic cancer risk
  • Low, intermediate or high risk
• Risk of harboring high-grade disease (0-100%) if you had prostate removal surgery
• Risk of metastasis within 5 years (0-100%)
• Risk of prostate cancer death within 10 years (0-100%)

See a sample Decipher Biopsy test report and learn more about how to read the results.