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One newer — and currently available — method for colorectal cancer screening is a stool test that includes multitarget assays for neoplasia-related DNA and fecal hemoglobin; a recent study provides data on the “next-generation” version of that test (NEJM JW Gen Med Apr 1 2024 and N Engl J Med 2024; 390:984). But DNA from colorectal cancers and precancerous lesions also can be detected in blood.
In an industry-funded study, researchers examined the performance of a cell-free DNA blood test (which is not yet approved as a screening test by the U.S. FDA) in 7861 people who also were undergoing colonoscopy. The test yielded the following results:
It detected 88% of stage I, II, or III (not yet metastatic) colorectal cancers.
It detected 13% of adv…