The result of the PCA3 (Prostate CAncer gene 3) test, the PCA3 Score, indicates the likelihood that you will have prostate cancer (PCa) diagnosed after examining under a microscope prostate tissue samples obtained during a prostate biopsy.
If the PCA3 Score is low, this indicates a decreased likelihood of a positive biopsy, i.e. presence of cancer cells and a biopsy may be delayed or eventually avoided.
If the PCA3 Score is high, this indicates an increased likelihood of a positive biopsy. If a biopsy is subsequently performed and it turns out that you have PCa, the PCA3 Score may be used as complementary information in the process of pre-operative staging. This will help to assess the risk of PCa progression/severity of the tumour and the need for early treatment.