A blood test detected the majority of colorectal cancers and precancerous lesions in a study published Aug. 10 in The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology.
The study was led by Ajay Goel, PhD, chair of the department of molecular diagnostics and experimental therapeutics at Duarte, Calif.-based City of Hope and associate director of basic science for City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, also in Duarte.
Researchers first identified blood-based microRNA biomarkers linked to colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas, then trained and validated the blood test on separate study cohorts.
Here are three notes from the study:
- The test detected 91% of colorectal cancers overall and 92% of stage 1-3 colorectal cancers — the stage range when treatment is often most effective.
- The test detected 81% of advanced adenomas, with a specificity of 85% for advanced neoplasia and 83% for a negative colonoscopy.
- “These findings suggest that blood-based screening may be capable of identifying both existing cancers and the precancerous lesions that often precede them, bringing us closer to a screening approach that emphasizes prevention as much as detection,” Dr. Goel said in an Aug. 9 news release from City of Hope.
Read the full study here.
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