EASIER COLON CANCER TEST
A new screening may be the easiest way to find colorectal cancer sooner when you have a better chance of surviving. Why researchers say it's the most promising blood test yet.
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10 years ago, Linda Echternkamp had a large mass in her colon -- a cancer that was growing fast.
Linda Echternkamp
Colon cancer survivor
"It wasn't an easy road for me, but lucky enough, I'm here."
Now, she hopes new advances can help others beat the odds, too.
Linda Echternkamp
"If there's any testing that can help patients get in and be checked easier by a simple blood test, I think that's really marvelous."
Now there is -- a new blood test detects an altered gene linked to colon cancer.
William Grady, MD
Gastroenterologist
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Seattle, WA
"I think this test shows a lot of promise."
Since you don't have to collect a stool sample, Doctor William Grady says more people are likely to get screened to determine if they need a colonoscopy. But he says the new test doesn't compare to the gold standard just yet.
William Grady, MD
"The blood based test is better than older blood based tests but still is only about half as good as colonoscopy."
For Linda, any advance is good against a disease that runs deep in her family. Her father died of colon cancer. Her son and daughter are at high risk and get regular colonoscopies. As for her grandchildren.
Linda Echternkamp
"They have a 50-50 chance of being positive."
As technology improves, she hopes all they will need is a simple blood test.
Doctors say right now only about half of people who should get screened for colon cancer do. Having an effective blood test would be a big advantage because there would be much better compliance. Big advances in molecular technology could mean perfecting this test will come soon.
BACKGROUND: Colon (colorectal) cancer, often called the "silent killer," ranks as the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Colon cancer affects both men and women about equally and kills more people annually than either breast cancer or prostate cancer. Nearly 150,000 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States this year. More than 57,000 Americans will die from the disease. The probability of developing cancer of the colon or rectum increases with age with those at highest risk between the ages of 60 and 79. The good news is that almost no one has to die from colon cancer because there is 90 percent cure rate if caught early enough. Colon cancer is preventable and treatable if it's caught early.
DETECTION: Colon cancer goes undetected and neglected because of lack of awareness, lack of media attention, embarrassment, the "yuck" factor, and too few people taking an active role in monitoring their own health to prevent the disease. Although colon cancer can strike with no warning signs, one of the most frequent early warning signs is blood in stool from bleeding polyps (growths of tissue inside the large intestine). This sign is either not noticed because the blood is not visible to the human eye or not acted upon. A healthy, normal individual does not bleed internally. If you do bleed internally, resulting in either occult (hidden) or visible traces of blood in stool, this can be a sign of colon cancer or other digestive health problem that requires immediate medical attention. Early detection of colon cancer through screening is the key to beating colon cancer.
TREATMENT: Treatment for colon and rectal cancer depends on the stage and other factors that the patient and doctor will discuss before choosing a treatment option. The doctor will conduct tests and tissue biopsies to determine your cancer stage. Cancer staging is the process of classifying how far a cancer has progressed. Treatment options may include:
Surgery
Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
NEW BLOOD TEST: There have been a number of blood tests that have been developed for detecting colon cancer that have shown themselves to be about half or as third as effective as a new test from Epigenomics. Dr. William Grady from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center says this test is a significant improvement over previous tests. The new blood test can detect molecular tumor specific markers to see whether or not a tumor is present.
Dean Forbes
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
P.O. Box 19024
Seattle, WA 98109
(206) 667-2896
dforbes@fhcrc.org
Copyright © 2006 Ivanhoe Broadcast News, Inc.
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