According to reports, researchers in Taiwan, by using a method they developed, disclosed that they were able to detect Prostate-Specific Antigen in the blood of women with breast cancer.

Also, the PSA levels in the women were over 3 times higher than levels in women who did not have breast cancer, indicating that it could be a significant biomarker for the disease.

Though the study was small, and the findings needed to be confirmed, it indicated that PSA could be more ‘sensitive and specific, when compared to existing biomarkers for detecting breast cancer and predicting its recurrence tendencies’.

Hence, the protein referred to as PSA is said not to be specific to the prostate, as the PSA is secreted by many organs, including the breast, though at levels, which are so low and usually undetectable with the use available detection methods.

In order to enhance PSA detection, the researchers from the National Yang-Ming University and Guang Gung University in Taipei used a ‘state-of-the-art fiber optic technology’ to create a biosensor with the ability of detecting the protein in the serum of women, who have or do not have breast cancer.

Moreover, Stephanie Bernik, MD, and Chief of surgical oncology at New York's Lenox Hill Hospital, said: "A major goal is to be able to rely on these biomarkers to tell us when to begin treatment, and I believe this will happen, but I can't say when".