One of the most patient-friendly methods of detecting neoplastic lesions of the large intestine has been developed. The test involves a stool sample that detects gene fragments for cancerous cells using advanced molecular biology techniques, reports Analyst.
Colorectal cancer is a serious health problem for an aging population. For this reason, there is a great need to develop quick, inexpensive and possibly patient-friendly methods for identifying the early symptoms of neoplastic changes within the digestive system.
As you know, the sooner cancer is diagnosed, the cheaper the therapy and the greater the likelihood of a complete cure for the patient.
Recently completed research conducted by scientists from Nanjing University in China is the proverbial light in the tunnel and perhaps, soon, it will change the diagnosis of colorectal cancer once and for all.
Scientists have developed a technique called MDHB (Multiplexed Digital-PCR coupled with Hydrogel Bead-array), which uses hydrogel beads to which short fragments of ribonucleic acid (RNA) are attached to form a kind of hook for remnants of cancerous cells.
The test involves analyzing a stool sample (similar to testing stool for bacteria) to which hydrogel RNA beads are added to pick up sections of RNA that suggest the presence of remnants of colon cancerous cells. Then, by means of molecular biology techniques known for quite a long time, the presence of small RNA fragments is confirmed.
In laboratory tests, the new method made it possible to painlessly detect cancer in 77 percent of the analyzed samples (faeces of patients diagnosed with colorectal cancer were examined). It is worth adding that a similar study gave a 100% positive response when the tumor cells obtained from the biopsy were analyzed. According to scientists, for the test to be successful, there must be at least 100 cancer cells in the stool.
According to the authors of the discovery, thanks to the possibility of analyzing the stool for the presence of molecular traces indicating the development of cancer inside the digestive system, in the near future it will be possible to increase the availability of prophylactic anti-cancer diagnostics. Practically, this type of examination can be performed each time during a routine stool analysis. (PAP)