Biomarker for Colorectal Cancer in Primary Care

Led by ABMU Health Board consultant colorectal surgeon Professor Dean Harris, the team of scientists based at Swansea University’s Medical School have developed a simple blood test which may make it much easier for GPs to diagnose bowel cancer – the very first time people visit the surgery with symptoms.
The team of researchers working with Prof Dean Harris is made up of Prof Peter Dunstan, Cerys Jenkins and Rhys Jenkins. They have found that the single blood test has very high accuracy levels for either exclusion or confirmation of the presence of bowel cancer so that GPs can have a better diagnostic tool than any currently available to them.
Colorectal, or bowel, cancer is the third most-common cancer worldwide, with 41,000 cases diagnosed in the UK every year. Early diagnosis is hampered by the lack of “red flag” symptoms and patients are often not diagnosed until their chances of survival are greatly reduced.