Simple test can detect early signs of bowel cancer
A TEST costing just £4 can help save lives with earlier detection of colon cancer, say scientists.
The simple faecal immunochemical test (FIT) finds traces of hidden blood in stool samples and identifies who is at risk of developing the condition.
Researchers at the University of Exeter tested nearly 4,000 people with low-risk symptoms which could be caused by bowel cancer or other illnesses including stomach ache, unexplained weight loss and anaemia.
Symptoms affecting the bowel, colon or rectum can turn into emergency cases which have the lowest cancer survival rate, said study leader Dr Sarah Bailey, who confirmed early detection was key to saving lives.
She said: “Our findings are very exciting. This simple and inexpensive test performs exceptionally well in patients with low-risk symptoms – to accurately tell us who is likely to not have colorectal cancer and who should be referred for investigation.
“At a time when hospital services face a backlog as a result of Covid-19, making this decision quickly can ensure the right people are investigated and treated as quickly as possible, which can help save lives. “We know FIT has accelerated interest in how FIT can be used in other patients, such as those with symptoms that have a higher risk of being colorectal cancer. We are now calling for FIT to be evaluated for use across the healthcare spectrum, not just in primary care, and in combination with other clinical markers of cancer such as blood test results.”
The study examined data from 3,890 patients aged 50-plus who use healthcare providers in the SouthWest of England.
Of those, 618 tested positive for blood in faeces, 43 of whom received a diagnosis of colorectal cancer within 12 months. In the group that tested negative, only eight were diagnosed with colorectal cancer a year later.
Dr Joe Mays, of the Peninsula Cancer Alliance, said: “The rapid and robust analysis has generated the evidence for doctors to use the FIT test with confidence.”
Medics are urgently looking at ways to diagnose the disease more quickly due to its high mortality rate.
Each year 1.8 million cases are diagnosed worldwide with 900,000 deaths.