> What is Colox®?
Colox® is an easy and efficient blood test for the detection of cancerous colorectal lesions. It also detects precancerous lesions such as adenomatous polyps.
Colox® is a screening test which identifies the high-risk cases of colorectal cancer and directs patients to a colonoscopy diagnosis when needed. It provides an additional screening tool for physicians and the population concerned in order to increase the rate of participation in screening and thus reduce the mortality rate of this cancer.
> What exactly does the test measure?
Colox® is based on the analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) isolated from a routine blood sample. PBMCs are responsive to growing adenomatous polyps and colorectal carcinomas as part of the “host-response”.
Colox® measures the combined response of gene expression profile of 29 biomarkers by real-time PCR in PBMCs and the concentration of 2 protein tumor markers in plasma. RNA markers, chanfed during the initial stages of the development of a lesion, allow for its early detection. The protein tumor markers ensure specificity. These genes are involved in inflammation (mediators or regulators of inflammation), mobility, signals and cell proliferation.
> Does Colox® detect colic cancers of other kinds?
The Colox test has been characterized and validated on cases of colonic cancer of adeno-carcinoma type and on cases of advanced adenomas. The adenocarcinoma type represents 95% of colonic cancers. However, it has not been characterized and validated on other types of rare colic cancers (GIST, squamous…) The main international guidelines for colorectal cancer screening target the adenocarcinoma type as well as the main screening methods. (stool test, screening colonoscopy).
Learn more about the test : Development and Clinical Validation of a Blood Test Based on 29-Gene Expression for Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer
