Blood test detects with 83% accuracy colon cancer

One intended to detect the colon in people at average risk and not showing symptoms, correctly detected this cancer in 83% of individuals, according to a study published in the journal “New England Journal of Medicine”. The findings come from the ECLIPSE study, a clinical trial in many countries involving nearly 8,000 people aged 45-84. Researchers compared the blood test, which detects signs of colon cancer in the blood from the DNA expelled from the tumors, to colonoscopy. Specifically, of the 7,861 people included in the survey, 83.1% of participants confirmed with colonoscopy that he has colon cancer had a positive blood test and 16.9% negative examination. The test was more sensitive to colon cancers, including early-stage cancers, but less sensitive to advanced pre-cancer lesions, which can be converted into cancer over time. According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the second most frequent cause of cancer death in adults in the US and is expected to cause 53,010 deaths in 2024. While death rates in older adults have declined, rates among those under 55 have increased by about 1% annually since the mid-2000s. Current guidelines recommend that people at risk for colon cancer start regular monitoring at the age of 45. However, it is estimated that only 50% to 60% of those who need to do preventive testing are doing these tests. “The existence of a blood-based examination, which people can do during the usual visits to the doctor, could be an opportunity to help more people do preventive screening,” notes William Grady, a gastroenterologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and a professor at the Faculty of Gastroenterology of the University of Washington Medical School.