Simple blood tests for colon, stomach cancers

Two new blood tests could help doctors detect colon and stomach cancers simply, cheaply and early without the need for invasive procedures or unpleasant examinations, researchers said yesterday.

The tests, one developed by the Belgian biotechnology firm OncoMethylome and another by scientists in Germany, use blood samples to detect specific genetic signals of the disease and could help predict whether it is likely to spread.

Professor Ernst Kuipers, a specialist in bowel cancer at Rotterdam's Erasmus University, uninvolved in the research, said the tests marked a promising advance in screening.

"The blood sample can be taken by nurses or primary care doctors without the need for special equipment or training," Dr Joost Louwagie of OncoMethylome said.

Ulrike Stein, who presented her findings with Louwagie's at the ECCO-ESMO European cancer congress in Berlin, said hers was the first test to be able to detect signals of a specific gene, called S100A4 and known to be linked to cancer.

Her test finds various types of abdominal cancers and had also shown potential in identifying patients whose cancer was likely to spread. "Cancer patients have significantly higher levels of this S100A4 gene than people without cancer," she said.

Colorectal cancer affects around one in 17 people worldwide. Death can be reduced with early diagnosis.

Source: www.scmp.com