Stool DNA test to replace colonoscopy?

NEW YORK, Dec. 13 (UPI) -- The dreaded discomfort and embarrassment of a colonoscopy may become a thing of the past, replaced by a simple stool sample, say U.S. researchers.

Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the EXACT Sciences Corporation said a new study of a stool DNA test showed 88 percent sensitivity for colorectal cancer, with equal detection across all stages of cancer and regardless of the cancer's location in the colon.

"This study confirms that stool-based DNA technologies can achieve high sensitivities for detecting colorectal cancer," said lead researcher Steven Itzkowitz, professor and associate director of gastroenterology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. "For those individuals who are unwilling or unable to undergo colonoscopy, stool DNA testing offers a valuable and patient-friendly screening option. These results also underscore that as new markers and technologies are developed and validated, they can readily be incorporated into existing stool DNA tests to improve cancer detection and, ultimately, patient outcomes," he said.

The study is published online in the American Gastroenterological Association's journal, Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, and will appear in the January 2007 print issue.