Loading...
In a previous manufacturer-sponsored study, a simplified fecal DNA assay based on hypermethylation of the vimentin gene combined with an improved DNA integrity assay had a sensitivity of 88% for colorectal cancer (CRC) and a specificity of 82% in a training set (JW Gastroenterol Apr 27 2007). Now, the investigators report results of a prospective analysis of the combined fecal DNA test in an independent validation set.
Among 42 patients with CRC and 241 patients with normal colonoscopies, and if cut points established in the previous study were used, the two assays combined had a sensitivity of 86% for CRC and a specificity of 73%. Optimal cut points based on the combined training and validation data sets yielded a sensitivity of 83% for CRC…