Colorectal Cancer News

Colon Cancer-Detecting Blood Test Previewed at Medica Trade Show

The future of colon cancer screening may be surprisingly simple. ColoMarker™, an innovative blood test to detect the early stages of colon cancer is generating plenty of attention from a wide audience, including from some of the world’s leading researchers in cancer biomarkers and gastrointestinal medicine.

EDP Biotech, a US-based medical research company, is introducing ColoMarker to medical professionals from around the globe who are attending Germany’s famous Medica trade fair.

To date, physicians have relied on colonoscopies and fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) to identify potential cases of early stage colon cancer. However, the unpleasantness and discomfort associated with colonoscopies and the limited reliability of other screening tests cause many patients to avoid testing.

“When patients avoid testing, they also avoid the opportunity to detect the cancer at its earliest and most survivable stages,” says Tom Boyd, CEO of EDP Biotech. “This means patients are truly putting their lives at risk. We saw an opportunity to save lives if we could help physicians better identify which of their patients were most in need of a colonoscopy or other testing.”

ColoMarker provides that function as a simple blood test. The test identifies elevated levels of a biomarker in the bloodstream associated with the presence of colorectal cancers. When an elevated result is received, physicians can consult with their patients on the need for additional testing to aid in a diagnosis, prognosis, or treatment plan.

Pre-clinical testing of ColoMarker has shown a greater than 99% accuracy rate for detecting colon cancer in the Stages I, II, and III.

Reference:
Colon Cancer-Detecting Blood Test Previewed at Medica Trade Show. BusinessWire. November 17, 2010

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