The EACR’s ‘Highlights in Cancer Research’ is a regular summary of the most interesting and impactful recent papers in cancer research, curated by the Board of the European Association for Cancer Research (EACR).
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Chung, D.C. et al. NEJM 390(11), 973-983 (2024).
doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2304714.
Summary and graphical abstract by Alexandra Boitor, EACR Scientific Officer
Summary of the findings
Summary of the findingsColorectal cancer is one of the most frequently encountered forms of cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths. Although very efficient screening procedures are in place, almost 40% of the US population eligible does not benefit from the available screening procedures due to various reasons including costs and invasiveness. This is reflected in the fact that up to 76% of colorectal cancer-related deaths in the US occur in individuals who were not screened as recommended.
In this paper, Chung et al. describe a blood test that could detect malignant and pre-malignant colorectal lesions and could be performed as part of a routine healthcare encounter for people over 45. In a cohort of 7861 participants chosen to closely resemble the demographic characteristics of the US population, this cfDNA test showed a specificity of 89.6% for advanced colorectal neoplasia and an overall sensitivity of 83.1%. The false positive rate was 10.1%. This is within the acceptance criterion set by the FDA for other approved screening tests for colorectal cancer. The detection of advanced precancerous lesions however remains a challenge as the detection sensitivity for premalignant lesions was only 13.2%.
