scholarly journals Noninvasive diagnostics for colorectal cancer: molecular genetic fecal DNA analysis

Author(s):  
G. M. Butrovich ◽  
E. D. Mirlina ◽  
I. G. Habarova ◽  
O. A. Vostrukhina

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still one of the leading causes of cancer-related death all over the world. An early diagnosis is fundamental thing for reducing the CRC-related morbidity and mortality. Nowadays researchers are studying more reliable and effective non-invasive screening tests, using easily available biological samples, such as feces. Such methods have high potential to collect and deliver samples. The comparison of some new variants genomic fecal DNA analysis and traditional fecal occult blood tests are discussed in this review. Sensitivity, specificity of the methods, processability, efficacy and ability of early CRC screening are the criteria for the preference of the using of one of these methods. These factors give the opportunity to carry out the large-scale CRC screening. This technological advance promises to increase the efficiency of the fecal DNA analysis and put the using of new clinical applications.

2008 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 631-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Richter

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common type of cancer diagnosed in Canada, and is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in nonsmokers. Although CRC is considered to be 90% curable if detected early, the majority of patients present with advanced stage III or IV disease. An effective screening test may significantly decrease disease burden. The present paper examines the rationale and potential of fecal DNA testing as an alternative and adjunct to other CRC screening tests. The most efficacious fecal DNA test developed to date has a sensitivity and specificity of 87.5% and 82%, respectively. The approach has a higher positive predictive value than the currently used fecal occult blood test and offers a noninvasive option to patients. It is not reliant on the presence of bleeding, which may be intermittent or altogether absent. The test is now commercially available and is supported by a number of American insurers. Current challenges include cost reduction and demonstration of mortality benefit in a rigorous clinical trial. Despite current challenges, fecal DNA testing is worth pursuing. Both the American Gastroenterological Society and the American Cancer Society maintain that molecular testing is in its infancy but is promising. Fecal DNA testing has the potential to be an exciting addition to the current armament of CRC screening options.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei-Chih Su ◽  
Wei-Yu Kao ◽  
Tsung-Kun Chang ◽  
Hsiang-Lin Tsai ◽  
Ching-Wen Huang ◽  
...  

Despite the steadily increasing worldwide incidence of colorectal cancer (CRC), an effective noninvasive approach for early detection of CRC is still under investigation. The guaiac-based fecal occult blood test (FOBT) and fecal immunochemical test (FIT) have gained popularity as noninvasive CRC screening tests owing to their convenience and relatively low costs. However, the FOBT and FIT have limited sensitivity and specificity. To develop a noninvasive tool for the detection of CRC, we investigated the sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of a stool DNA test targeting methylated syndecan-2 (SDC2), which is frequently methylated in patients with CRC. This study enrolled 62 patients diagnosed as having stage 0–IV CRC and 76 healthy participants between July 2018 and June 2019 from two institutions. Approximately 4.5g of stool sample was collected from each participant for detection of human methylated SDC2 gene. In total, 48 of 62 (77.4%) patients with CRC showed positive results, whereas 67 out of 76 (88.2%) healthy participants showed negative results. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve constructed was 0.872 for discrimination between patients with CRC and healthy individuals. This study highlights the potential of the fecal methylated SDC2 test as a noninvasive detection method for CRC screening with a relatively favorable sensitivity of 77.4%, a specificity of 88.2% and a positive predictive value of 84.2% compared to other available fecal tests. Further multicenter clinical trials comprising subjects of varied ethnicities are required to validate this test for the mass screening of patients with CRC.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Eng

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, clearly play a role in the etiology of colorectal cancer, as many as 25% of patients with colorectal cancer have a family history of the disease, which suggests the involvement of a genetic factor. Inherited colon cancers can be divided into two main types: the well-studied but rare familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndrome, and the increasingly well-characterized, more common hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC, a.k.a. Lynch Syndrome). The prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers of the colon and rectum are covered in this chapter. Figures illustrate various forms of adenomatous polyps, the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system for colorectal cancer, and the five-year survival rate in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Tables describe risk factors; possible chemopreventive agents; evidence supporting the effectiveness of screening tests; features and usage issues with different fecal occult blood tests; recommendations for early detection, screening, and surveillance for patients at different levels of risk; colorectal cancer staging systems; indicators of poor prognosis; and chemotherapeutic and biologic agents in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This chapter contains 197 references.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 238146832098497
Author(s):  
Andrea Gini ◽  
Maaike Buskermolen ◽  
Carlo Senore ◽  
Ahti Anttila ◽  
Dominika Novak Mlakar ◽  
...  

Background. Validated microsimulation models have been shown to be useful tools in providing support for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening decisions. Aiming to assist European countries in reducing CRC mortality, we developed and validated three regional models for evaluating CRC screening in Europe. Methods. Microsimulation Screening Analysis–Colon (MISCAN-Colon) model versions for Italy, Slovenia, and Finland were quantified using data from different national institutions. These models were validated against the best available evidence for the effectiveness of screening from their region (when available): the Screening for COlon REctum (SCORE) trial and the Florentine fecal immunochemical test (FIT) screening study for Italy; the Norwegian Colorectal Cancer Prevention (NORCCAP) trial and the guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) Finnish population-based study for Finland. When published evidence was not available (Slovenia), the model was validated using cancer registry data. Results. Our three models reproduced age-specific CRC incidence rates and stage distributions in the prescreening period. Moreover, the Italian and Finnish models replicated CRC mortality reductions (reasonably) well against the best available evidence. CRC mortality reductions were predicted slightly larger than those observed (except for the Florentine FIT study), but consistently within the corresponding 95% confidence intervals. Conclusions. Our findings corroborate the MISCAN-Colon reliability in supporting decision making on CRC screening. Furthermore, our study provides the model structure for an additional tool (EU-TOPIA CRC evaluation tool: http://miscan.eu-topia.org ) that aims to help policymakers and researchers monitoring or improving CRC screening in Europe.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jill Tinmouth ◽  
Emily T. Vella ◽  
Nancy N. Baxter ◽  
Catherine Dubé ◽  
Michael Gould ◽  
...  

Introduction. The objectives of this systematic review were to evaluate the evidence for different CRC screening tests and to determine the most appropriate ages of initiation and cessation for CRC screening and the most appropriate screening intervals for selected CRC screening tests in people at average risk for CRC.Methods. Electronic databases were searched for studies that addressed the research objectives. Meta-analyses were conducted with clinically homogenous trials. A working group reviewed the evidence to develop conclusions.Results. Thirty RCTs and 29 observational studies were included. Flexible sigmoidoscopy (FS) prevented CRC and led to the largest reduction in CRC mortality with a smaller but significant reduction in CRC mortality with the use of guaiac fecal occult blood tests (gFOBTs). There was insufficient or low quality evidence to support the use of other screening tests, including colonoscopy, as well as changing the ages of initiation and cessation for CRC screening with gFOBTs in Ontario. Either annual or biennial screening using gFOBT reduces CRC-related mortality.Conclusion. The evidentiary base supports the use of FS or FOBT (either annual or biennial) to screen patients at average risk for CRC. This work will guide the development of the provincial CRC screening program.


Cancers ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 246
Author(s):  
Lasse Kaalby ◽  
Issam Al-Najami ◽  
Ulrik Deding ◽  
Gabriele Berg-Beckhoff ◽  
Robert J. C. Steele ◽  
...  

Fecal hemoglobin (f-Hb) detected by the guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) may be associated with mortality and cause of death in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening participants. We investigated this association in a randomly selected population of 20,694 participants followed for 33 years. We followed participants from the start of the Hemoccult-II CRC trial in 1985–1986 until December 2018. Data on mortality, cause of death and covariates were retrieved using Danish national registers. We conducted multivariable Cox regressions with time-varying exposure, reporting results as crude and adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs). We identified 1766 patients with at least one positive gFOBT, 946 of whom died in the study period. Most gFOBT-positive participants (93.23%) died of diseases unrelated to CRC and showed higher non-CRC mortality than gFOBT-negative participants (aHR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.10–1.30). Positive gFOBT participants displayed a modest increase in all-cause (aHR: 1.28, 95% CI: 1.18–1.38), CRC (aHR: 4.07, 95% CI: 3.00–5.56), cardiovascular (aHR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.07–1.39) and endocrine and hematological mortality (aHR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.19–2.10). In conclusion, we observed an association between positive gFOBT, cause of death and mortality. The presence of f-Hb in the gFOBT might indicate the presence of systemic diseases.


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy Eng

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Although environmental factors, including diet and lifestyle, clearly play a role in the etiology of colorectal cancer, as many as 25% of patients with colorectal cancer have a family history of the disease, which suggests the involvement of a genetic factor. Inherited colon cancers can be divided into two main types: the well-studied but rare familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) syndrome, and the increasingly well-characterized, more common hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC, a.k.a. Lynch Syndrome). The prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of cancers of the colon and rectum are covered in this chapter. Figures illustrate various forms of adenomatous polyps, the tumor, node, metastasis (TNM) staging system for colorectal cancer, and the five-year survival rate in patients with colorectal carcinoma. Tables describe risk factors; possible chemopreventive agents; evidence supporting the effectiveness of screening tests; features and usage issues with different fecal occult blood tests; recommendations for early detection, screening, and surveillance for patients at different levels of risk; colorectal cancer staging systems; indicators of poor prognosis; and chemotherapeutic and biologic agents in the treatment of colorectal cancer. This chapter contains 197 references.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin L. Sovich ◽  
Zachary Sartor ◽  
Subhasis Misra

Background.Worldwide, colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in men and second most common in women. It is the fourth most common cause of cancer mortality. In the United States, CRC is the third most common cause of cancer and second most common cause of cancer mortality. Incidence and mortality rates have steadily fallen, primarily due to widespread screening.Methods.We conducted keyword searches on PubMed in four categories of CRC screening: stool, endoscopic, radiologic, and serum, as well as news searches in Medscape and Google News.Results.Colonoscopy is the gold standard for CRC screening and the most common method in the United States. Technological improvements continue to be made, including the promising “third-eye retroscope.” Fecal occult blood remains widely used, particularly outside the United States. The first at-home screen, a fecal DNA screen, has also recently been approved. Radiological methods are effective but seldom used due to cost and other factors. Serum tests are largely experimental, although at least one is moving closer to market.Conclusions.Colonoscopy is likely to remain the most popular screening modality for the immediate future, although its shortcomings will continue to spur innovation in a variety of modalities.


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