ArticleGMS health technology assessment2015
Tests detecting biomarkers for screening of colorectal cancer: What is on the horizon?
Article in GMS health technology assessment, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Stool DNA testing for early detection of colorectal cancer: systematic review using the HTA Core ModelGerman medical science : GMS e-journal · 2023Pooled it
- The Role of Noncoding RNAs in the Prognosis and Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer: An Emerging Biomarker.MicroRNA (Shariqah, United Arab Emirates) · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
aimTo identify new and emerging screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) that involves detection of various biomarkers like blood, DNA and RNA in samples of faeces, tissue or blood. Current practice: Screening for CRC can be done by bowel visualisation techniques and tests that measure biomarkers. The Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP) in England uses a guaiac faecal occult blood test.
methodsThe strategy was to search available literature, identify developers and contact them for relevant information. Advice from experts was sought on potential utility and likely impact of identified technologies on the BCSP.
resultsNinety-three companies and five research groups were contacted. Sixty-nine relevant tests were identified. Detailed information was available for 48 tests, of these 73% were CE marked and the remainder were considered as emerging. Forty-nine tests use immunochemical methods to detect occult blood in faeces. Eight, four and two tests detect biomarkers in a sample of blood, or exfoliated cells either shed in faeces or collected from rectal mucosa respectively. Six tests were grouped as 'other tests'. Most of the identified tests are performed manually and give qualitative detection of biomarkers.
conclusionVariation in test performance and characteristics was observed amongst the 69 identified tests. Automated, quantitative FIT with a variable cut off are the preferred approach in the BSCP. However the units used to report FITs results do not enable comparison across products. Tests detecting biomarkers other than occult blood are more specific to neoplasms but have limited sensitivity due to the heterogeneity of cancer. Research is ongoing to identify an optimal panel of biomarkers, simplifying and automating the test, and reducing the cost.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.