When testing blood for colon cancer, the risk of missing a fatal tumor is 2.5 times higher than with a regular colonoscopy. HealthDay reports this with reference to a study by scientists from Stanford University.
Using previously published studies, the researchers compared the effectiveness of colonoscopy, stool and blood tests. They estimated the incidence of cancer and death among 100 thousand patients with an average risk of developing a tumor.
The results showed that those who had blood tests had a 2.5 times higher risk of dying from bowel cancer than those who had a colonoscopy. Colonoscopy and stool tests were also more cost-effective than blood tests.
The researchers noted that blood tests are better than nothing for patients who avoid colonoscopy due to preparation or the invasive nature of the procedure. However, they cannot compare to colonoscopy in detecting early stage cancer or precancerous polyps.
“The first generation of blood tests [для диагностики колоректального рака] – it's really exciting. But for now, if you are willing and able to have a colonoscopy or stool test, it is better to choose that rather than a blood test.”
