title: A novel multitarget stool DNA test for colorectal cancer screening.
abstract: Review of: Imperiale TF, Ransohoff DF, Itzkowitz SH, Levin TR, Lavin P, Lidgard GP, Ahlquist DA, Berger BM. Multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal-cancer screening. N Engl J Med 2014;370(14):1287-97. This Practice Pearl reviews the results of a prospective, multicenter, cross-sectional clinical study that evaluated the performance of a new multitarget stool DNA (or mt-sDNA) screening test for colorectal cancer (CRC) and compared it with a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) in individuals at average risk for CRC. The potential impact of this test on the future of CRC screening is also discussed in a brief commentary. mt-sDNA testing is a noninvasive screening test designed to detect DNA biomarkers associated with colorectal neoplasia and occult hemoglobin in the stool. The sensitivity of mt-sDNA testing for detection of CRC was 92.3%, compared with 73.8% for FIT (p = 0.002). Sensitivity for detecting advanced precancerous lesions was 42.4% for mt-sDNA testing and 23.8% for FIT (p < 0.001). The specificities of mt-sDNA testing and FIT were 86.6% and 94.9%, respectively (p < 0.001). mt-sDNA testing thus may be a first-line screening option for asymptomatic individuals at average risk for CRC who do not want to have a colonoscopy.
authors.affiliation: a Virginia Gastroenterology Institute , Suffolk , VA , USA.
authors.forename: Pramod
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malik
mesh_terms: D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis*; D055088:Early Detection of Cancer / Q000379:methods*; D005243:Feces / Q000737:chemistry*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D011230:Precancerous Conditions / Q000175:diagnosis*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm
keywords: Advanced adenoma; DNA testing; colorectal cancer; fecal test; screening test