Researchers Develop Fast and Noninvasive Diagnostic Prostate Cancer Test

The test uses urine, and it was shown to be predictive in determining which prostate condition the patient had.

July 1, 2026

Key Highlights

The test uses paper spray mass spectrometry to analyze urine samples in under 30 seconds.
It accurately differentiates between aggressive prostate cancer and benign prostate conditions.
The method addresses limitations of PSA blood tests, reducing false positives and negatives.
Researchers analyzed samples from 40 individuals, identifying 37 key metabolic features.
This noninvasive approach offers a faster, more reliable alternative for prostate cancer screening.

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UF Health Cancer Institute researchers have developed a fast, noninvasive diagnostic test for prostate cancer using urine.

Current screening methods using blood tests “sometimes show abnormal results even when a man does not have cancer, or normal results when he does.” Prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, levels are commonly used to screen people for prostate cancer, but PSA levels “can be elevated by noncancerous conditions such as an enlarged prostate, prostatitis, a urinary tract infection, or even recent sexual activity. Doctors still lack a single test that reliably separates life-threatening, aggressive cancer from the slow-growing version.”

The new method uses a technique called paper spray, which runs an electric current through paper containing a urine sample which causes metabolites to ionize. Those metabolites can then be measured with a mass spectrometer in under 30 seconds.

The research team analyzed samples from 40 people, and identified 37 “significant features” among the conditions (enlarged prostate, prostatitis, and prostate cancer). The test was shown to have strong predictive accuracy.