ARTICLE | PREVENTIVE MEDICINE |
INTESTINAL POLYPS
SCREENING METHODS FOR THE DIAGNOSIS OF
Preventive medicine is an important part of anti-ageing research,
with cancer screening being a particularly
important factor. Luis I. Gómez Fernández and Mario Krause present the findings of a study examining the use of a new blood test for
the early detection of adenomas
ABSTRACT Colon cancer represents one of the most significant causes of mortality in the present day. Very often it is caused by intestinal polyps that, therefore, are considered to be pre-cancerous. Currently, colonoscopy is the established screening method despite its failure to detect all polyps and its poor acceptance among patients. The polyps-specific-polymers (PSP) blood test is a testing method for pathological changes in whole blood, and is suitable for the early detection of intestinal polyps. In the following article, the authors present results of a retrospective study in 40 patients with intestinal polyps and in 31 healthy patients without. The aim of the investigation was to clarify how far the PSP blood test analysis is suited for the early detection of intestinal polyps from peripheral blood. A close correspondence between the results of the PSP blood test and colonoscopy was found (P=0.0003). The PSP blood test achieved a sensitivity of 92.5% and a specificity of 93.1%. These findings are promising and will now have to be confirmed in a double-blind prospective study. It will be of particular importance to clarify whether supposedly false-positive results can be attributed to a false-negative colonoscopy, and what long-term prognosis can be given for test persons whose PSP-blood test remained negative despite the endoscopic detection of polyps.
T
LUIS I. GÓMEZ FERNÁNDEZ is founder and MD of INDAGO GmbH, Germany; and MARIO KRAUSE, MD, is international expert in holistic, preventive and anti-ageing medicine, Hannover, Germany
email:
info@indago-group.com 52 ❚
KEYWORDS colon cancer, colonoscopy, preventive medicine, intestinal polyps, PSP blood test
January/February 2012 |
prime-journal.com
HE EARLY DETECTION of adenomatous intestinal polyps is one of the most essential measures in the prevention of colorectal carcinomas. Most colorectal
carcinomas result from adenomatous polyps via the so-called adenoma– carcinoma sequence1
. Timely diagnosis of
adenomas can considerably reduce the occurrence of carcinoma1
. The prevalence of adenomas
amounts to approximately 25% in those aged 50 years, and increases to approximately 55% over the following 30 years. The risk for a patient with average risk factors to be diagnosed with a colorectal carcinoma some time during his/her lifetime is approximately 5%. These risk factors include: ■ Lifestyle risk factors, such as a high-fat diet, a diet high in red meat, a low-fibre diet, smoking, and obesity
■ Ageing — 90% of cases of the disease occur after the age of 50 years
■ Family history. Polyps and colon cancer tend to run in families, suggesting that genetic factors are also important in their development. According to the Robert Koch Institute,
the average age at which cancer is contracted is 73 years in women and 68 years in men1
. Every year in Germany,
more than 70 000 men and women develop intestinal cancer and 30 000 die from it. In October 2002, the provisions of the law governing the early detection of intestinal cancer were amended. Between 50 and 55 years of age, one annual stool test for concealed blood (faecal occult blood test; FOBT) is offered2 During their 56th
. year of life all
statutory insurance members are entitled to their first colonoscopy. However, owing to fear, shame, uncertainty, repression, and a lack of knowledge, this free offer is only used with hesitation. Both long waiting times and reservations that patients may have about intestinal cleansing add to the
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