06.09.06
Epigenomics and Stanford Collaborate on Colorectal Cancer Detection
Epigenomics and the Molecular Imaging Program at Standord (MIPS) have announced an agreement to collaborate in the area of colorectal cancer detection. The research will aim to complement the benefits of both colorectal cancer detection using methylation markers and detection using positron emission tomography (PET).
- Positron emission tomography (PET) is a medical imaging technique which produces a three dimensional image of metabolic activities in the body. In oncology, more than 90% of all PET scans are performed as FDG-PET scans, using (18F) fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) as a tracer which is taken up by most cells, but retained by tissues with high metabolic activity such as cancer tissue.
“FDG PET scans have a sensitivity of about 85% and a specificity of 71% in the initial diagnosis and staging of colorectal cancer patients, while our DNA methylation marker has a sensitivity between 50 and 65% and a specificity of 95% in the same indication,” said Dr. Cathy Lofton-Day of Epigenomics. “We therefore would like to find out whether the combination of both methods can increase sensitivity and specificity of colorectal cancer detection. The study may also help us to identify new potential scenarios for clinical uses of our technology.”
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