Scientists have developed a special test that could turn the tide on prostate cancer worldwide by detecting the disease at an early stage, identifying where men are at high risk and saving others from unnecessary treatment, The Guardian writes. The number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer worldwide is projected to double to 2.9 million a year by 2040, with annual deaths rising by 85%. It is already the most common form of cancer in men in more than 100 countries. Early diagnosis is crucial, but experts say today's standard blood tests may be overlooking men who do have cancer and forcing others to undergo unnecessary treatment or pointless further tests. Now researchers from the London Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and the Royal Marsden NHS foundation trust appear to have found a better alternative. The study has found that their new saliva test, which involves collecting a DNA sample in seconds, is more accurate than the existing standard blood test. The results will be presented this weekend at the world's largest cancer conference.

“This test could be used to turn the tide on prostate cancer,” said oncogenetics professor Ros Iles. -"We have shown that a simple and cheap saliva test to identify men at higher risk due to their genetic makeup is an effective tool for early cancer detection.