Blue March is the month of mobilization against colorectal cancer, the objective of which is to promote its detection. A blood test could both improve adherence to screening, detect colorectal cancer earlier and thus reduce mortality linked to it.
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that a simple blood test could make it easier to screen for colorectal cancer in people at average risk who do not have symptoms. The Shield test made it possible to correctly detect colorectal cancer in 83.1% of patients actually affected by the disease, subsequently confirmed by a colonoscopy. The rest of the patients tested negative, although they also had colorectal cancer.
Nearly 8,000 people aged 45 to 84 took part in theclinical testclinical test who provided these results. The study aimed to compare the blood test to colonoscopy, the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening. Based on theDNADNA tumoraltumoral circulating (DNA excreted by tumorstumors), the Shield test detects colorectal cancer signals in the blood. The test was more sensitive for colorectal cancers (including early-stage cancers) and less sensitive for advanced precancerous lesions, which can turn into cancer over time.
Facilitate the diagnosis of colorectal cancer
Currently, people at average risk of colorectal cancer are advised to start regular screening at age 45. “ Early detection would prevent more than 90% of deaths linked to colorectal cancer, but more than a third of the population eligible for screening is not up to date with their screening despite the numerous tests available. », Write the researchers.
They believe that the blood test – whose accuracy rate is similar to that of stool tests used for the early detection of colorectal cancer – could offer an alternative to patients who refuse current screening methods. However, the sensitivity of the blood test for colorectal cancer remains lower than that of colonoscopy.
