Researchers presented early findings at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting suggesting that at-home saliva tests are more accurate than traditional blood tests in identifying men at high genetic risk for aggressive prostate cancer.

The BARCODE 1 study, involving over 6,000 European men aged 55-69, found that the saliva test could detect genetic variants associated with the disease, resulting in fewer false positives and higher detection rates for aggressive tumors.

This simple and cost-effective spit test has the potential to improve early diagnosis and save lives.

Prostate cancer patient Dheeresh, who was diagnosed early through the trial, emphasized the life-saving impact of this research.

Supported by the Bob Willis Fund, further research is needed to confirm the effectiveness and potential widespread use of this more targeted screening approach based on genetic risk factors.