DNA blood test for bowel cancer

Australian scientists have presented data on a blood test for bowel cancer which is based on two genes that ‘leak’ into the blood. Developed between biotechnology company Clinical Genomics and CSIRO, the test was clinically validated in collaboration with the Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer at Flinders University.

The results of the study were based on blood specimens collected at an Australian and a Dutch hospital from more than 2000 volunteers who were scheduled for colonoscopy or for bowel surgery. The test was found to detect 65% of bowel cancer cases, or 73% of cancers that were stage II or higher.

The data was presented during the Digestive Diseases Week (DDW) conference, held in Chicago, by Flinders’ Professor Graeme Young. Professor Young said the test could be a candidate for population screening in the future and its sensitivity for cancer justifies prospective evaluation in a large screening population.

“It might prove to be acceptable to those failing to participate in screening using established methods, which at the moment are primarily based around faecal tests,” he said.

“If this test becomes available in the future, I think the message would need to be that the faecal test is the best place to start for people who are due for screening. Then the plasma test would be for those people who can’t or won’t screen with a faecal test.”

Dr Larry LaPointe, CEO of Clinical Genomics, said he looks forward to commercialising the test in the future. He believes the test could be available in Australia on a ‘user pays’ basis as soon as early spring 2014.

“The test is covered by a range of pending patents and these new data give reason to be optimistic about the prospect of improving screening rates by providing another option for people who can’t or won’t screen for bowel cancer using home-based tests ,” said Dr LaPointe.

“This has the potential to save many lives by complementing existing screening programs.”

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