A new, highly-sensitive PSA, or prostate-specific antigen, test may be able to predict if the cancer will return.

According to WebMD.com, the test proved to be 300 times more sensitive than commercially available tests in a small study.

The test uses nanotechnology to detect PSA levels in the blood after the prostate has been removed because of the cancer. Previously, men had to wait five to seven years for a regular test to be able to measure their PSA levels after surgery.

"The first thing our study proved is that almost everybody has a measurable level of PSA after the prostate is removed. We haven’t been able to measure this with the tests we have now," one of the scientists who developed the test, Dr Chad Mirkin, told WebMD.

That’s significant, he says, because rising PSA levels following treatment predict recurrence.

A larger study is underway to confirm the test’s accuracy, although some say the clinical benefit of it is unclear.

Prostate cancer is the most common form of cancer in American men, with as many as 186,000 new cases last year, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Recent research has suggested a vegetable-rich diet and pomegranate juice may lower the risk of prostate cancer due to their antioxidant power.

Other studies have linked omega-3 fatty acids to better prostate health.