FDA approves blood test for colon cancer detection
Dr. Shikha Jain, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine in the Division of Hematology/Oncology, weighed in on a new blood test for colon cancer screening! "There’s a lot of people who have early stage cancers that are getting missed because they aren’t going for the colonoscopy. The hope is we can get early stage people by getting this test early on. If there is something abnormal, then they can go for the next step which would be a colonoscopy," said Dr. Jain. It's important to remember, this test will not detect precancerous polyps, and may miss earlier stage cancers that have not released enough circulating DNA in the blood to be detected.
The blood test is a good option for average risk patients who are apprehensive about traditional colonoscopies. The new blood test is a valuable addition to our screening tools. However, it should complement, not replace, colonoscopies, which remain the gold standard for comprehensive colon cancer screening and prevention.
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