New blood test could boost colon cancer screening rates in Texas
A new FDA-approved blood test designed to detect colon cancer earlier is now available in North Texas.
An estimated 154,270 people in the U.S. will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer this year. It's the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country.
"Colon cancer has actually become the number one cancer cause of death for men under the age of 50," said Dr. Bethany Malone, a colon and rectal surgeon at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital in Fort Worth. "And it's occurring at a rate that's alarming and just kind of across the board."
Colon cancer cases in people under 55 have doubled over the last two decades. Malone believes early detection is key to saving lives.
"For stage one colon cancer, which means a surgically curable cancer that does not need any chemotherapy or radiation, there's a 91% five-year survival rate," she said.
Despite this, a recent poll found that 35% of eligible Texans aged 45 and older are not up to date on their recommended screenings. Traditional colonoscopies, while highly effective, are often perceived as intimidating or inconvenient.
"We know that 50 million Americans were eligible for screening last year and they did not get screened," said Sam Asgarian, the vice president of clinical development at Guardant Health. "Those are eligible Americans that meet the requirements for getting checked, and it put it off for some reason or have never gotten it even."
Guardant Health has developed a new FDA-approved blood test designed to detect colorectal cancer, and it's now available to patients in North Texas.
"The physicians are really hopeful that having that simpler test option, having a blood test, something you can even incorporate as part of the annual exams that people get, really gives us confidence that we can improve those screening rates and get people checked for colon cancer," Asgarian said.
While Malone said colonoscopies remain the gold standard for detection and prevention, more options can only help improve screening rates.
"I would rather have someone do a blood-based test or a stool-based test than do nothing," she said.
Medical professionals urge people to talk with their doctors about their colon cancer risk factors and potential screening options.
