Colon cancer can be detected in the early stages with a simple blood test. Thus it follows from A Stady Published by the New England Journal of Medicine.
The study, signed by a group of gastroenterologists and cancer research specialists from the United States, shows this Blood test Cancerous tumors can be detected in 8 out of every 10 people with colon cancer. Combined with other technology –stool DNA test– Detection in the initial stages of this type of cancer will be improved.
A blood test for colon cancer relies on finding signals or markers from DNA secreted by cancerous tumors, which is called circulating tumor DNA, or ctDNA.
End of colonoscopy?
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common tumors among men and women in Catalonia, and it is the second type of tumor – after lung cancer – withHigh mortality rate.
Every year there are 6,000 new cases. Diagnosing it in a timely manner is the key to being able to treat it.
The most common technique currently used to identify colon cancer is… Colonoscopy. Recording with a video camera allows you to study the colon and rectum. But it is an expensive and uncomfortable test and requires anesthesia for the patient.
Nearly half of the patients diagnosed with this cancer have not undergone any early detection tests, either through blood tests in the stool or through a colonoscopy.
What this study shows is that this type of disease can be easily detected using one of these Less invasive technique And therefore, Accessible to a larger group Of people. From the public
But what the study authors make clear is that doctors need to explain to patients that if a blood test result is abnormal, they will need to schedule a colonoscopy to find where the polyps are located and remove them.
Facilitating examination
The screening program allows the disease to be detected in its early stages, and new treatments and improvements in surgical techniques in recent years have greatly improved diagnosis by delaying disease progression.
Men and women between the ages of 50 and 69 are tested periodically for blood in the stool. When you receive Letter fromCatalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) You have to go to a cooperating pharmacy to get the container and they will explain to you how to take a stool sample.
A very small sample is enough to know if the stool contains traces of blood. If there is blood, it may be a tumor or cancer. To find out, a colonoscopy is performed.
It's a simple procedure, but it still finds hesitation among users. it is expected that Only 6 out of 10 people Who receive the invitation to undergo examination They end up taking the test.
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