Author: Carlson, Marilyn R.

Source: Molecular Diagnosis & Therapy, Volume 13, Number 1, 2009 , pp. 11-14(4)

Publisher: Adis International

Abstract:

• Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer and a leading cause of death for both men and women in North America.

• The staging of the CRC at the time of diagnosis is the single most important prognostic factor in determining recurrence and survival.

• Until 2008, accurate evaluation of CRC stages I and II was based on examination of regional lymph nodes (LNs) under a microscope to identify cancer cells. This method can detect one cancer cell in 200 normal cells, but analyzes only a fraction of the available tissue from the LN (less than 0.1%).

• Up to 30% of patients assessed by traditional histopathology methods as having stage II disease (negative LNs) experience a recurrence of their cancer.

• Previstage™ GCC Colorectal Cancer Staging Test, a new molecular diagnostic test, is able to identify patients at high risk of recurrence by examining their LNs for guanylyl cyclase C (GCC).

• GCC is a marker found in cells lining the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract. The expression of GCC is conserved in CRC and metastatic disease.

• Using an ultrasensitive quantitative reverse transcription (RT)-PCR, the test interrogates a patient's LN tissues to identify GCC levels consistent with metastatic (stage III) disease.

• The technology employed in Previstage™ GCC is nearly 100 000 times more sensitive than microscopic staging methods. This molecular diagnostic test allows a more thorough examination of LNs and has an analytic sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 98%. Such a test can be used to overcome the limitations of staging by traditional histopathology alone.

Document Type: Research article

Affiliations: 1: entreMeDica, Inc., Encinitas, California, USA

Publication date: 2009-01-01

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