A team of scientists from Ireland is currently working on a new bowel cancer test that is not only quick, safe, and reliable, but is also very cheap.
Biomedical Diagnostics Institute researchers from Dublin City University has partnered with Randox Technologies, a biotech firm, to develop a more reliable and fast bowel cancer screening examination that will cost only €25 or no more than $40.
It uses blood sample, and the device identifies biomarkers such as antibodies that are normally present during the early stages of the cancer.
Although other details of the test and the equipment still remain unclear, it's been generating a huge buzz in the medical community especially in Ireland where around a thousand people die of the cancer annually. Each year about 2,500 people are diagnosed, forcing the health ministry to make screening mandatory particularly for high-risk individuals or those who are already 60 to 69 years old.
The researchers hope that with this simple test, they will be able to address some problems with the recent cancer screening. One, they can encourage more people especially those deemed high risk to have themselves tested. The new screening exam will be quick and less invasive since only a blood sample is needed. In the current test, patients usually need to submit a stool sample, and even then, the results are not always reliable.
Second, through early detection, they can save more lives. Bowel cancers can be treated, but the prognosis is high when they're detected during their earliest stages. However, symptoms appear only when the cancer is already in the advanced stages.
Moreover, the researchers believe that with a more accurate and quick results they can obtain from the screenings, doctors may be able to provide a more customized or personalized form of treatment to increase the patient's chances of survival.