A new test for bowel cancer that could save 1,200 lives a year has been developed by researchers in ...
A new test for bowel cancer that could save 1,200 lives a year has been developed by researchers in Germany. The test detects an enzyme called Tumour M2-PK, a by-product of tumour growth that leaks from cancerous tissue and can be detected in faeces.
The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, said that while blood in the stool is a symptom of bowel cancer, doctors were previously unable to distinguish whether a tumour or a minor complaint such as piles caused bleeding. However, the new test can definitively establish whether bleeding is due to cancer and therefore, prevent thousands of patients from undergoing unnecessary invasive procedures such as a colonoscopy.
It is thought the new test will revolutionise cancer screening techniques and save lives by speeding up diagnoses of the 35,000 cases of bowel cancer in the UK each year. Faster prognosis will also help to cut the 16,000 deaths that subsequently result from the disease.
Dr Philip Hardt, of Giessen University Hospital and lead researcher on the project, said: "We will now look to test Tumour M2-PK in a large trial, but this enzyme has the potential to be an excellent safety net."
