A SUPPORT group for people with prostate cancer in Oxfordshire has hailed new research into diagnosing the disease as 'a real step forward'. 

Thousands of lives are expected to be saved after a landmark study found MRI scans were almost twice as effective at spotting agressive tumours as biopsies.

Each year about about 40,000 men in the UK are diagnosed with a prostate tumour, the most common cancer in men.

The new research, published in medical journal The Lancet, estimates an MRI scan could help 27 per cent of men avoid an unwarranted biopsy, during which a small sample of tissue is removed from the body for examination.

John Grundy, chairman of Oxfordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group (OPCSG) and a survivor of the disease, said the discovery was 'very exciting'.

The 69-year-old, from Boars Hill, added: "We know that  biopsies, though one helped to save my life, can lead to uncomfortable side effects for men, so we this could be a real step forward.

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"We'll be following this development with great interest - it's very exciting."

More than 570 men with suspected prostate cancer were given an MRI scan followed by two types of biopsy as part of the study, conducted by researchers from a range of institutions.

Researchers found the MRI scan correctly identified 93 per cent of aggressive cancers, while most commonly used biopsy type only diagnosed about 50 per cent.

Lead author Dr Hashim Ahmed, of the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said the current biopsy test could be inaccurate because tissue samples were selected at random.

He said: "This means it cannot confirm whether a cancer is aggressive or not and can miss aggressive cancers that are actually there.

"Because of this, some men with no cancer or harmless cancers are sometimes given the wrong diagnosis and are then treated even though this offers no survival benefit and can often cause side effects."

On top of these errors in diagnosis, the current biopsy test can cause side effects such as bleeding, pain and serious infections, he added.

Prostate Cancer UK chief executive Angela Culhane praised the findings as a 'huge leap forward' for the 'notoriously imperfect' diagnostic processes currently used.

She said: "This is the biggest leap forward in prostate cancer diagnosis in decades with the potential to save many lives."

The NHS is already looking at how a rollout of the MRI scan method could be done. 

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: "We want to be world leaders in cancer care and research and this study is yet another example of how our commitment to cancer research is transforming the lives of those affected by the disease.

"Last year the National Institute for Health Research spent £142m on cancer research studies, including this study. This investment will continue next year, with the NIHR spending another £1bn on health research."

For information from the Oxfordshire Prostate Cancer Support Group, call its helpline on 01865 595 109