NEWSMAX BLOOMBERG: A novel colon cancer test from Exact Sciences Corp. (EXAS) and the Mayo Clinic using the DNA of specimens that patients collect at home detects more tumors than methods focusing on blood in the stool, a study found.
The research released Tuesday by the New England Journal of Medicine shows the test is about as powerful as a colonoscopy for spotting colon cancer, the third-most common type of tumor. While the disease can be prevented by identifying and removing abnormal growths early, as many as one-third of Americans haven’t taken the recommended screening to find them.
The test called Cologuard scans for traces of tumor DNA, genetic mutations and blood in a stool sample. It detected 92 percent of cancers and 42 percent of advanced precancerous growths, significantly more than an older test that looks only for blood in the stool. False positives occurred in more patients, about 13 percent, with Cologuard, leading them to undergo a colonoscopy that turned up no signs of cancer… (more)
