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Joan Stephenson, PhD

JAMA. 2000;284:2584.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

An experimental screening test that detects cancer-related mutations in DNA from colon cells that are continuously shed in the stool shows promise as a noninvasive tool for colon cancer and precancerous polyps, according to a new study by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. The study's findings appear in the November issue of Gastroenterology.

If these early findings are confirmed by larger studies, the test "could lead to a higher rate of both prevention and cure," said David A. Ahlquist, MD, the Mayo clinic gastroenterologist who led the study. However, it would complement rather than replace colonoscopy, the current gold standard detection tool, he noted.

DRAWBACKS OF CURRENT TESTS

Current tests for colorectal cancer all have substantial drawbacks. Fecal occult blood tests result in a false-positive reading in as many as 5% to 10% of screened individuals (prompting unnecessary colonoscopies) and fail to detect many . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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