ARUP offers a noninvasive test to determine the risk of prostate cancer in men

Test Code Test Name
2014059 4Kscore (Prostate-Specific Kallikrein)
 

The 4Kscore Test is recommended for men concerned with their risk for high-grade, aggressive prostate cancer and is especially useful when considering a prostate biopsy.

The 4Kscore Test measures four biomarkers: total PSA, free PSA, intact PSA, and hK2. Blood test results are combined in an algorithm with a patient’s age, optional digital rectal exam, and prior biopsy results to give physicians a personal risk score for each patient.

Unlike traditional PSA tests, 4Kscore distinguishes men with a low risk for aggressive prostate cancer from those with a high risk. Men with a low-risk 4Kscore have a more than 99 percent chance of not developing distant metastasis within the next 10 years.

Physicians can identify patients with a high probability of having aggressive prostate cancer and offer appropriate treatment, while avoiding overtreatment of low-grade prostate cancer.

While the 4Kscore Test can’t provide a prostate cancer diagnosis, it can help physicians and their patients decide whether or not to perform a biopsy based on the probability of the patient having potentially life-threatening prostate cancer.

4Kscore Test highlights:

  • Non-invasive
  • Looks at four prostate-specific biomarkers
  • Predicts risk of high-grade prostate cancer
  • Predicts long-term risk of distant metastasis
  • Reduces overtreatment and unnecessary biopsies
  • Allows physicians to make better treatment decisions for their patients

Do not use this test on a patient who:

  • Has had a previous diagnosis of prostate cancer
  • Is younger than 40 or older than 80 years of age
  • Has received a DRE in the previous 96 hours (4 days) before phlebotomy; a DRE performed after the phlebotomy is acceptable
  • Has received within the previous 6 months 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (5-ARI) therapy such as Avodart (dutasteride) or Proscar (finasteride)
  • Has undergone within the previous six months any procedure or therapy to treat symptomatic BPH or any invasive urologic procedure that may be associated with a secondary PSA elevation prior to phlebotomy

For more information about prostate cancer, visit the American Cancer Society prostate cancer page.

For more information about the 4Kscore Test, visit: 4kscore.com