ColoPrint: A new way to predict progression of colon cancer?

About 80 percent of stage II colon cancer can be cured by surgery alone. But what about those for whom surgery isn’t enough? Can they be identified? Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. has developed a genetic test that may predict which stage II and III colon cancer patients are most likely to experience a recurrence following surgery. The test, called ColoPrint, screens for 18 genes associated with the risk of colon cancer recurrence and was developed from whole-genome sequencing of patients diagnosed with stage II colon cancer who later experienced metastasis. According to a study of 233 patients who underwent surgery for stage II or III colon cancer, only five percent identified as having a low risk of recurrence by the test saw their cancer return within five years. This compared to recurrence of the disease among 20 percent of those the test classified as high-risk.

ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross, however, is not so impressed with the results. “If it were me, I would not consider five percent to be good enough to skip out on post-surgery chemotherapy. A more reliable genetic test would, however, enable patients who do not need follow-up care to avoid the unnecessary side-effects of chemotherapy, not to mention the subsequent medical bills.”