Aussie scientists develop blood test for bowel cancer

An Australian-developed DNA blood test for colorectal cancer (CRC) has a successful detection rate of 65% and could help overcome the barriers to screening associated with faecal tests.

The test - developed by Clinical Genomics and CSIRO - has a detection rate that raises to 73% for cancers that are stage II or higher.

The DNA test screens for two genes, BCAT1 and IKZF, which are known to hypermethylate in CRC tumours. It was recently used to analyse blood specimens collected from  more than 2000 Australian and Dutch volunteers scheduled for colonoscopy or for bowel surgery.

Clinical validation was conducted with Flinders University’s Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer. The detection rate data were presented at the Digestive Diseases Week 2014 conference in Chicago by the centre’s Professor Graeme Young.

Professor Young said based on data to date, the test could be a candidate for population screening. 

“If this test becomes available in the future I think the message would need to be that the faecal test is the best place to start for people who are due for screening. Then the plasma test would be for those people who can’t or won’t screen with a faecal test.”

Clinical Genomics CEO Dr Larry LaPointe said the test could be available to Australians on a user-pays basis as soon as early spring.