Is there a definitive blood test for colon cancer currently available today?
Dr. Liebler: No. There is no real definitive, widely accepted blood test for colon cancer. In fact, there really isn’t a blood test for early detection of any cancer. There are a number of reports from different laboratories that suggest they are on to something, that they have proteins or other things that they can measure. Some of these things look promising, but it’s really hard to tell how many of these things are going to pan out. How beneficial would it be to have a blood test? Dr. Liebler: If you had a blood test for colorectal cancer that people could simply take when they have an annual physical, then it would be possible to identify those people who have developing early-stage disease. Then, you could send them directly in to get a colonoscopy. This would ease the pressure on colonoscopy, on the endoscopy labs, the clinics that do colonoscopies, because really, there is not enough capacity in the United States if everybody who was supposed to get a colonoscopy actually showed
