ScheBo(R)-Biotech AG / Breakthrough in the early detection of colorectal cancer Scientists present a new colorectal cancer test, "Tumor M2-PK", in the British Journal of Cancer
Giessen (ots) - Scientists from the Giessen Medical University have described a progressive new test that detects cancer cells in the stool through the enzyme Tumor M2-PK in the renowned specialist publication, the British Journal of Cancer. The journal belongs to the famous Nature Publishing Group and in the field of oncology is regarded as one of the leading journals worldwide for cancer diagnosis and therapy. The results of investigating stool samples for changes in Tumor M2-PK from the working group of Professor Hans-Ulrich Kloer and Dr. Philip Hardt, together with their colleagues, present a new, precise and non-invasive method for colorectal cancer screening, according to the paper's authors.
Professor Kloer, Dr. Hardt and their co-authors from the University Clinic of Giessen investigated the marker Tumor M2-PK in their study of a patient group with colorectal cancer and a healthy control group of 204 subjects altogether, who all underwent colonoscopy. The sensitivity of the new test - in other words its accuracy to detect a tumor - lay between 60%-90%, according to the tumor stage. Current tests such as blood-in-the-stool tests have a sensitivity of around 25%. The new test does not measure blood in the stool, but instead by measuring Tumor M2-PK it detects a tumor specific enzyme. The scientific results for the new test represent a breakthrough in the early detection of colorectal cancer.
Professor Hans-Ulrich Kloer, chief investigator of the study, explained that "Unlike the blood-in-the-stool tests, this test also discovers tumors that don't bleed. The stool marker Tumor M2-PK has very good prerequisites for population screening, with its simple analysis as well as its practicability and test characteristics". Together with the generally higher willingness by the public to participate in non-invasive investigations, this stool test, used in combination with colonoscopy to clarify the positive findings, represents a promising tool to improve the early detection of colorectal cancers."
The test is already available under the product name "ScheBo(R)-Tumor M2-PK(TM) Stool Test" (ScheBo(R)-Biotech AG, Giessen, Germany).
Reference: www.bjcancer.com.
Dr. René M. Kröger
Netanyastrasse 3-5
D-35394 Giessen
Germany
Telephone:+49 641-4996-0
Fax: +49 641-4996-77
E-Mail: r.kroeger@schebo.com