Colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colon cancer detection, but researchers are always on the look out for less-invasive ways to screen for this disease. And despite the fact that colonoscopy is not as bad as you may imagine, a simple blood test for colon cancer would be a welcome development for many.
This type of test may soon be a reality. EDP Biotech Corporation, has developed a blood test, called ColoMarker, which in preliminary studies detected a very high percentage of stages I, II, and III colon cancers in people with the disease. The ColoMarker test looks for a substance in blood called CA1-18.
Promising Early Results
In tests of 2,370 blood samples, ColoMarker showed an overall accuracy rate for detecting colon cancer of 93%. In another early trial, researchers tested for the presence of ColoMarker in 243 blood samples from patients who had symptoms of colon cancer. They compared the results of these blood tests to results from the Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)
ColoMarker had a false positive rate of 11% compared with a false positive rate of 30% for FOBT. This means that ColoMarker is much less likely to identify people as having colon cancer, when they do not have the disease. In this same group of 243 patients, ColoMarker detected 100% of Stage I (early stage) colon cancers, while FOBT identified only about 40% of early stage disease.
Check Back For More Info
Clearly, the preliminary research on ColoMarker is promising. The studies suggest ColoMarker may become an important, new addition to the arsenal of tools used to detect colon cancer early, when it is most curable. The ColoMarker test requires further study before it receives FDA approval for widespread use, so check back for updates.
Next Steps
In the mean time, talk to your doctor about when you need a colonoscopy screening test. The ColoMarker may not be available for some time, and regardless of when it becomes widely available, ColoMarker is unlikely to completely displace the colonoscopy as the only, or best, colon cancer screening test.
ColoMarker is not proven to identify people with polyps, growths in the colon that if left untreated, may develop into colon cancer. Ideally, a colonoscopy will find polyps and your doctor can remove them, long before they turn into colon cancer.
at 62 I had never had a colonoscopy, but do to my wife and I losing our lifetime of benefits she talked me into it. With no symptoms whatsoever, a large mass was found in my colon. Diagnosed in Dec of 2009 with colon cancer stage 3, I went through a year of 5 surgeries, an illeoscopy bag, chemo and radiation and on Feb 4 2011 was declared cancer free! My wife realized that losing her job had accually saved my life. It’s crazy how things work out sometimes!
Hi Larry,
This is a great story and shows why regular colon cancer screening is so important. Many people, like you, have no symptoms from colon cancer. Thank goodness it was caught before it spread beyond your colon. Thank you so much for sharing this!
Colon Cancer Guide Suzanne