Breakthrough test with 90 per cent accuracy could help 500,000 people in UK at high risk of cancer

A new method of detecting the UK’s fourth most common cancer is more than 90 per cent accurate, a new study has found.

The research shows the test could accurately predict who will develop the disease amongst the 500,000 people in the UK most at risk of bowel cancer.

People with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), such as Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, are at a significantly higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

The study, funded by Cancer Research UK, found that a simple blood test could predict bowel cancer risk in the next five years in a high-risk group of people with IBD, with 90 per cent accuracy.

The researchers say the findings could give those at risk “the best possible information” to make informed decisions about their health – and “remove the fear of bowel cancer” in people not at risk.

Professor Trevor Graham, from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), which co-led the research, said: “Most people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease won’t develop bowel cancer. But for those that have these conditions and are showing signs of pre-cancer in their colon, there are some tough decisions to make.

“Either they have it monitored regularly, in the hope that it doesn’t become cancer, or they have their bowel removed to guarantee they don’t get cancer in the future. Neither of these options are particularly pleasant.

“Our test and algorithm give people with IBD, and the doctors who care for them, the best possible information so that they can make the right decision about how to manage their cancer risk. We can accurately identify those people at high risk whilst putting the minds of many others at rest.”

IBD can irritate the lining of the bowel and can cause abnormal pre-cancerous cells to form if left untreated. In the study, published in the journal Gut, samples of pre-cancerous cells were taken from 122 patients with IBD.

About half of the patients went on to develop bowel cancer within five years, whilst the other half remained cancer-free. Scientists used DNA changes in these pre-cancerous cells to develop an algorithm that predicts the likelihood of bowel cancer.

Professor Ailsa Hart, co-lead of the study, from St Mark’s, said: “Here we describe a potential biomarker, which can be readily translated into clinical practice, to improve assessment of patients with IBD and early signs of cancer to help with the decision for surgery.”

Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the UK. According to the NHS, its symptoms include:

• Changes in your stool, such as having softer stool, diarrhoea or constipation that is not usual for you
• Needing to use the toilet more or less often than usual for you
• Blood in your stool
• Bleeding from your bottom
• Tummy pain
• A lump in your tummy
• Bloating
• Losing weight without trying
• Feeling very tired for no reason

Data shows a concerning rise in bowel cancer cases in young people around the world. One particular research team found increasing rates of bowel cancer in younger adults in 27 out of the 50 countries in their study.

Marianne Radcliffe, chief executive of Crohn’s and Colitis UK, described the new test as “hugely exciting”, adding: “This is really positive news for people with Crohn’s and Colitis; just as with inflammatory bowel disease, we know the earlier you find out about cancer, the better.”