So we now have a non-invasive test which a person can use to screen for colon cancer which can detect colon cancer at a rate of over 8 out of 10. In my opinion this is a big advance considering colonoscopy is invasive and costs more but at the same time colonoscopy is still considered the most thorough (gold standard) way to screen for colon cancer.
M2-PK, as measured in feces, is a potential tumor marker for colorectal cancer. When measured in feces with a cutoff value of 4 U/ml, its sensitivity has been estimated to be 85% (with a 95% confidence interval of 65 to 96%) for colon cancer and 56% (confidence interval 41–74%) for rectal cancer.[1] Its specificity is 95%.[2]
The M2-PK test is not dependent on occult blood (ELISA method), so it can detect bleeding or non-bleeding bowel cancer and lso polyps with high sensitivity and high specificity with no false negative, but false positives may occur.[3]
If this test can be purchased over the counter then I intend to try it myself because an accuracy over 80% is considered very good for any kind of test and especially for a biomarker.