New Blood Test for Recurrent Colon Cancer

A new blood test for the detection of recurrent colon cancer may result in earlier detection and treatment than current tests.

A test for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), a general tumor marker, has been commonly used for monitoring patients for recurrent disease. However, the presence of CEA varies widely from patient to patient and more than 30% of tumors do not produce any CEA. Also, medical conditions can influence the results. As a result, a CEA test can fail to detect tumors as often as 40% of the time.

The new test, GCC-B1, can find one cancer cell in 10 million normal cells by detecting the presence of guanylyl cylcase C (GC-C), which is found on metastatic colorectal cancer cells. Detection in blood is inidicative of recurrent metastatic colon cancer. In ongoing clinical testing, the GCC-B1 test has been shown to have a sensitivity as high as 100% and a specificity of 91%.

The test was developed by Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics, Inc. (TDT, West Chester, PA, USA), a company focused on molecular-based technologies for the targeted detection and treatment of diseases. TDT is prepared to accept patient specimens for testing from anywhere in the world. The company's GC-C technology is also being applied as a mechanism for targeting and delivering therapeutic agents directly to colorectal cancer cells.

"Early detection of recurrent metastatic cells gives physicians an opportunity for earlier intervention, when the cancer may be easier to treat and a broader range of treatment options may be available,” said Arthur Boyce, vice president of marketing and development at TDT.




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Targeted Diagnostics & Therapeutics (TDT)