Breakthrough for bowel cancer as a new test shows 90% diagnostic accuracy
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Breakthrough for bowel cancer as a new test shows 90% diagnostic accuracy

A blood test can soon predict who is most exposed to getting bowel cancer, which can potentially increase survival chances.

Researchers have developed a new method that is more than 90 percent correct to detect the disease in patients with high risk.

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, are known to have a greater chance of developing bowel cancer.

Now doctors can predict which of these patients will develop bowel cancer over the next five years.

Experts hope that this breakthrough will quickly lead to a blood test, improve early detection and reduce the need for invasive tests.

IBD can irritate the bowel feed and can cause abnormal pre-cancerous cells to be formed if not treated.

In the study of the Institute of Cancer Research, who worked with doctors at St Mark’s, Britain’s specialist bowel hospital, samples were taken of pre-cancerous cells from 122 patients with IBD.

About half of patients continued to develop bowel cancer within five years, while the other half remained cancer -free.

Breakthrough for bowel cancer as a new test shows 90% diagnostic accuracy

A blood test can soon predict who is most exposed to getting bowel cancer, which can potentially increase survival chances. Photo: Dame Deborah James that died of the disease

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, are known to have a greater chance of developing bowel cancer (Stock Photo)

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, are known to have a greater chance of developing bowel cancer (Stock Photo)

Dame Deborah James, the nickname

Dame Deborah James, the nickname “The Intestinal Bab” collected more than £ 11.3 million for cancer research

All samples had their full DNA scanned to look for changes in the structure and the number of copies in DNA.

Patients with IBD who developed bowel cancer was found to have lost several copies of their DNA, according to the results published in the journal GUT.

The researchers also created an algorithm that calculates the risk of future bowel cancer, based on the exact pattern for DNA that changes in the pre-cancerous cells.

Used together, researchers hope that the results can spare people who have much lower risk from the stress of needing regular colonoscopies or undergo surgery to remove the colon.

Professor Trevor Graham, from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), who together led the research, said: ‘Our test and algorithm give people with IBD and the doctors who care about them, the best possible information so that they can make the right decision on how to manages his cancer risk.

“We can accurately identify these people at high risk while putting their minds to many others at rest.”

Doctors are worried about growing cases of bowel cancer cases among during the 1950s, where Britain has some of the highest increases over the past two decades.

Intestinal cancer can cause you to have blood in your POO, a change in intestinal habits, a lump inside the gut that can cause obstacles. Some people also suffer from weight loss as a result of these symptoms

Intestinal cancer can cause you to have blood in your POO, a change in intestinal habits, a lump inside the gut that can cause obstacles. Some people also suffer with weight loss asa results of these symptoms

Two -mum diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and died 40 in 2022, collection for further research

Two -mum diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and died 40 in 2022, collection for further research

Patients with IBD who developed bowel cancer was found to have lost several copies of their DNA, according to the results published in the magazine GUT (Stock Photo)

Patients with IBD who developed bowel cancer was found to have lost several copies of their DNA, according to the results published in the magazine GUT (Stock Photo)

Although the exact causes are unknown, poor diet and obesity are probably among the risk factors, which are also linked to rising cases of IBD.

It will come weeks after the NHS announced that it has expanded its bowel cancer examination to comprise over the 1950s.

The Dame Deborah James said she would be “grinning ear to ear” about the decision that will make millions more eligible for the tests.

Two people were diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 and died 40 in 2022, collection for further research.

Dr. Iain Foulkes, CEO of Research and Innovation at Cancer Research UK who funded this study, said: ‘With this research we can focus resources on treating people with IBD who have a really high risk, which saves health services valuable time and money.

“We can also give them to lower risk peace and remove the fear of bowel cancer in the future.”