The Global Robotics Institute and Center for Urologic Cancer at Florida Hospital Celebration Health is the first in Florida to offer a blood test, the Prostate Health Index, which offers promise in reducing the number of unnecessary prostate biopsies.

The Prostate Health Index (commonly known as phi) offers an additional level of diagnostic information before a patient undergoes prostate biopsy. One clinical study showed a 31 percent reduction in unnecessary biopsies due to false positives when the phi test was used.

The phi test — which is FDA-approved — combines three prostate-specific antigen (PSA) markers, improving the accuracy of the information doctors use to determine if a biopsy is needed. The screening is designed for men over 50 years old who have negative results from a standard exam, but receive results between 4 and 10 on a PSA screening.

The prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test is currently the most widely used screening test for prostate cancer, but many patients undergo prostate biopsy unnecessarily. Among men with PSA levels in the 4 to 10 range – often considered a gray area – 75 percent of them undergo a prostate biopsy that uncovers no cancer.