KI researcher receives price for best scientific publication in prostate cancer

“I am very happy and honored to receive this award. I am encouraged by the fact that many within EU sees the great value of an improved diagnostic tool like Stockholm3. With Stockholm3 one can reduce the number of men who need go on to MRI, without missing significant cancers. This saves critical resources and is a key enabler for effective screening programs for prostate cancer", says Tobias Nordström, associate professor of urology at the Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital and the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Karolinska Institutet, who is responsible for the STHLM3MRI study.

In 2021, the results of the STHLM3 MRI-study were published in The Lancet Oncology. The Lancet Editorial described the study as "an important step for smarter screening of prostate cancer". The article also won first prize for best oncological abstract at the EAU Congress in 2021. In early 2022, Professor Henrik Grönberg at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics was awarded the "Cancer Researcher of the Year 2022" award by the Cancer Foundation for his world-leading research that enables early detection of prostate cancer. Henrik Grönberg and his team, which includes Tobias Nordström, have for many years conducted research in the prostate cancer area. This research has, among other things, resulted in Stockholm3, which has been successfully implemented in clinical use since 2017. 

Publications

”Prostate cancer screening using a combination of risk-prediction, magnetic resonance imaging and targeted prostate biopsies: results from the population-based STHLM3MRI trial”. T. Nordström, A. Discacciati, M. Bergman, M. Clements, M. Aly, M. Annerstedt, A. Glaessgen, S. Carlsson, F. Jäderling, H. Grönberg, M. Eklund. The Lancet Oncology, online 12 augusti 2021, doi: 10.1016/ S1470-2045(21)00348-X.

“Cost Effectiveness of the Stockholm3 Test and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Prostate Cancer Screening: A Microsimulation Study”. S. Hao, E. Heintz, E. Östensson, A. Discacciati, F. Jäderling, H. Grönberg, M. Eklund, T. Nordström, M. Clements. European Urology, online 27 januari 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.eururo.2021.12.021.

More about the STHLM3 MRI study

Current screening methods – PSA (prostate-specific antigen) tests combined with traditional biopsies – result in unnecessary biopsies and the detection of numerous minor, low-risk tumours (overdiagnosis). Consequently, Sweden has chosen not to introduce a nationwide prostate cancer screening programme, as the benefits do not outweigh the disadvantages.The STHLM3 MRI-trial is a randomized screening-by-invitation trial, comparing the standard test PSA with the Stockholm3 blood test when used with MRI-targeted or systematic biopsies for prostate cancer detection. 12,750 men in the age of 50-74 years participated in the trial. Compared to standard screening by PSA and systematic biopsies, Stockholm3 combined with MRI-targeted biopsies was associated with 69 percent fewer overdiagnosed low-grade cancers, while maintaining detection of significant cancer.