Arr matey, the new blood test be spot-on for detectin' the dreaded colorectal cancer. No swappin' it out, says the study! Arr!
2024-03-25
Arrr mateys, listen up! The scallywags over at The New England Journal of Medicine be sayin' a simple blood test could spy out colorectal cancer with o'er 80% accuracy. 8,000 landlubbers were involved in this study, and the wise old seadogs be sharin' their thoughts on the matter. Arrr, what a treasure trove o' knowledge!
In the language of a 17th-century pirate, arrr matey! A simple blood test could be detectin' colorectal cancer (CRC) with more than 80% accuracy, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, included nearly 8,000 scallywags between the ages of 45 and 84, a press release stated.The results from the SHIELD blood test — which is made by Guardant, a pharmaceutical company in Palo Alto, California — were compared to the results from a colonoscopy procedure, the latter of which is considered the "gold standard for colorectal cancer screening," the release said. Among the participants who had colorectal cancer cases that were confirmed by colonoscopy, just over 83% tested positive through the blood test and 16.9% had a negative test. The SHIELD test works by pickin' up signs of colorectal cancer from DNA that is shed by tumors, which is called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).The test performed the best at pickin' up colorectal cancers and was less effective at detecting precancerous lesions, the researchers found. The SHIELD blood test is intended for use as a colorectal cancer screenin' for people who are of "average risk" and are not experiencin' symptoms, noted study co-author William M. Grady, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Washington. "The accuracy rate for colorectal cancer be similar to at-home stool tests used for early detection of colorectal cancer," Grady told Fox News Digital.The study did have some limitations, he acknowledged. "The study was done [among] average-risk people, and that’s who the test be meant for," he said. The test be not currently meant to be used in high-risk people, such as those with a family history of colorectal cancer, personal history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, he clarified. Colorectal cancer be the second most lethal cancer in the U.S. It's expected to claim 53,010 lives in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). People who be at average risk should start regular screenings at age 45, the ACS recommends."Colorectal cancer be largely preventable, and there be currently available screenin' tests such as colonoscopy, FIT stool tests and the MT stool DNA test that can prevent it," he said. The problem, Grady noted, be that some 40% to 50% of people who should be gettin' screened be not doin' so. The hope be that a blood-based test would help boost screenin' rates. "Blood-based screenin' tests be more acceptable to people than colonoscopy and stool tests and likely will increase screenin' compliance," Grady said. "This could lead to fewer CRC-related deaths."Some doctors have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of the blood test — particularly its lower sensitivity to pre-cancerous symptoms. "Due to insufficient adenoma detection, these new blood-based tests will not be as effective as Cologuard [the stool sample test], even when their adherence be perfect, compared to current adherence of Cologuard," said Dr. Mark Fendrick of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. Fendrick was not involved in the NEJM study.The American Gastroenterological Association released a statement in response to the NEJM study. "Having data on a new blood-based screenin' test for colorectal cancer be excitin'. If approved, it will help identify people who will need to undergo colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and ultimately help save lives," said Barbara H. Jung, M.D., president of the American Gastroenterological Association, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital. The association warned, however, that blood tests do not pick up precancerous polyps — which colonoscopies can detect."The blood test reported in the New England Journal of Medicine study be only designed to pick up cancers and not precancerous polyps," Jung noted. "Blood tests be not interchangeable with colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screenin', but should prove to be an additional tool to help identify colorectal cancer early." Blood tests could be recommended for patients who decline all other recommended tests, Jung noted — "since any screenin' be better than no screenin' at all." Those who be interested in the SHIELD blood test should consult with their primary care provider, Grady said. "This be significant given that at this time, when people be given the option of doin' CRC screenin' with a stool-based test or with colonoscopy, currently half of people be electin' to do neither," he added.Ahoy, me hearties! Ye know now that a blood test could be detectin' colorectal cancer with great accuracy, makin' it easier for ye to keep a weather eye on yer health and preventin' a terrible fate. Don't be a scallywag, get tested and stay ahead of the game!