SCIENTISTS at Essex University have made a breakthough in diagnosing prostate cancer.

Currently it is difficult to tell whether a prostate cancer is benign or malignant, meaning some patients are unnecessarily over-treated.

But a team at the university, led by Professor Elena Klenova, has found a link between a molecule known as BORIS and malignant tumours.

The research, published in the journal Prostate this month, could lead the way for better early diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer.

The major three-year study involved the university-based Essex Biomedical Sciences Institute working with the Colchester Catalyst Charity and the Urology and Pathology departments at Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust