What is the Select MDx test for prostate?
The Select MDx test is a urine test that screens for biomarkers of prostate cancer.
The Select MDx test, also called just the MDx test, is approved by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) for patients who have an abnormal PSA and/or digital rectal exam (DRE) who are being considered for a prostate biopsy.
The Select MDx text can help determine if you are at risk for aggressive, potentially deadly prostate cancer. This non-invasive urine test provides results to your urologist within 5 days and indicates if you are at:
- low risk of having aggressive prostate cancer and may avoid an unnecessary, invasive prostate biopsy.
- high risk and may benefit from a prostate biopsy to assess your cancer.
Select MDx Video
Learn more about the Select MDx, which assesses a man’s individual risk for prostate cancer and whether or not a biopsy may detect clinically significant prostate cancer.
Understanding Your SelectMDx Results
SelectMDx is an effective test in identifying clinically significant prostate cancer (greater than or equal to Gleason 7). See a sample SelectMDx results report and learn more about how to interpret the report. SelectMDx results should always been reviewed with a healthcare provider.
Select MDx FAQs
Below is an initial list of frequently asked questions about the Select mdx.
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.
Although there are many factors that contribute to your healthcare provider’s decision to conduct a prostate biopsy, there are several urinary and blood based PCMs that may help guide you and your physician through the decision of conducting a prostate biopsy. These include:
Genetic tests also may be worth considering if you have a family history of prostate cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer or colorectal cancer. These genetic tests are recommended for men who are determined through genetic counseling to be at potential risk for hereditary cancer:
Men with an abnormal PSA or DRE may be good candidates for the non-invasive Select mdx test, which can help determine whether or not a prostate biopsy is necessary.
Select mdx is a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay that measures the urinary mRNA levels of HOXC6 and DLX1 biomarkers. Higher levels of HOXC6 and DLX1 are associated with an increased risk for clinically significant prostate cancer.
Your Select mdx results should be reviewed with your physician. Generally, test results for Select mdx are presented in a binary fashion.
- Very low risk: You have a less than a 5% chance of having a Gleason ≥ 3+4=7 prostate cancer detected on biopsy
- Relative percent risk: This result demonstrates two risk categories:
- Percent risk of you having any cancer on prostate biopsy.
- Percent risk of you having clinically significant prostate cancer (greater than or equal to Gleason 7) on a prostate biopsy.
See a sample Select mdx result report and learn more about how to interpret these results.
Learn More
Explore more information about the Select MDx test through these links: