A new urine test has proven to improve prostate cancer detection — including detecting more aggressive forms of prostate cancer — compared to traditional PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests.

The new test, developed at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center and available since 2013, is called Mi-Prostate Score, or MiPS.

It combines PSA with two known biomarkers for prostate cancer — T2:ERG and PCA3 — both of which can be detected in urine sample.

"Around 50 percent of men who undergo a prostate biopsy will not have cancer. We need better ways to manage elevated PSA and determine who really needs to have a biopsy. MiPS gives men and their doctors better information to help make those decisions," said lead researcher Scott A. Tomlins, M.D., assistant professor of pathology and urology at the University of Michigan Medical School.

To test the accuracy of the new combo method, researchers tracked the experiences of nearly 2,000 men undergoing prostate biopsy because of elevated PSA levels. Using urine samples, the researchers conducted MiPS testing and compared results to various combinations of PSA, PCA3, T2:ERG, and other PSA-based risk calculators.

The results showed the new test, using individual biomarkers and combinations of biomarkers, better predicted the likelihood of cancer and the likelihood of high-risk cancer — the aggressive type that needs immediate treatment.

In fact, using one MiPS test reduced the number of patient biopsies by one-third, while delaying the diagnosis of only about 1 percent of high-risk prostate cancers.

"MiPS gives men a more individualized risk assessment for prostate cancer, so that men concerned about their serum PSA levels can have a more informed conversation with their doctor about next steps in their care," Tomlins said.