Colon cancer detection test approved in US
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday approved the use of a new type of blood test to detect colon cancer. in adults 45 years and older with an average risk of developing this disease, the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
Biotech company Guardant Health explained in a statement that the blood test, known as Shield, is approved for people aged 45 and older with an average risk of developing colon cancer, Efe reports.
While the blood test is not a replacement for a colonoscopy, it may result in more patients being screened because it requires less time and effort.
This is the first blood test approved by the FDA as a primary screening method for colorectal cancer.which means health care providers in the U.S., including the adult government health insurance known as Medicare, can now offer the test.
The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 150,000 people will be diagnosed with this type of cancer by 2024. and the disease will cause more than 53,000 deaths in the country.
More than three out of four people who die from the disease have not had screening tests.
When colon cancer is detected early before it has spread, the five-year relative survival rate is 91%.. But, In the United States, the detection rate is only about 59%.which is well below the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s goal of 80% for eligible people.
More than one in three eligible Americans (more than 50 million people) do not get screened for colorectal cancer, often because other available options, such as colonoscopies or stool tests, are invasive, uncomfortable or inconvenient, according to the report, cited by California-based Guardant Health.
Daniel Chang, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, said in a statement that the approval of the Shield blood test “marks a breakthrough, offering a compelling new solution to close this gap.”
“With higher screening rates and early detection of cancer, many more lives can be saved,” he added.
A clinical study published in the New England Journal of Medicine last March found that The shield is 83% effective. However, when colorectal cancer is detected, only 13% of cases are discovered in the early stages.