|
|
Article: DNA test disappoints as new cancer screen
- Article from:
- Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
- Article date:
- December 23, 2004
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2004 Deseret News (Salt Lake City). Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
|
The first big trial of a DNA test to detect colon cancer proved
disappointing to those hoping for an easy and accurate new screening
method.
The test, which looks for signs of mutant genes in stool, found
just half the colon and rectal cancers detected by colonoscopy.
It did find four times as many cancers as a widely used test that
looks for blood in stool, but the DNA test is too expensive -- $400
to $800 -- and too inaccurate to recommend, a specialist said.
Earlier research had suggested that DNA tests might be a less
expensive and more appealing option than colonoscopy, in which a
long, flexible tube is inserted in the rectum.
The study in Thursday's New England Journal of Medicine ...