New AI blood test for colon cancer could save lives by clearing the huge backlog of cases

Scientists roll a new ‘artificial intelligence blood test’ for bowel cancer which they hope will save lives by prioritizing those who need an immediate checkup.

The COVID-19 The pandemic has led to a huge backlog of patients waiting for a colonoscopy – the ‘gold standard’ test for colon cancer where a tiny camera is inserted into the body to look for tumours.

More than nine out of ten undergo a colonoscopy will not have cancer, but for those who do, any delay in treatment could affect their chances of survival.

Now scientists have developed a blood test that is up to 96 percent accurate in detecting colon cancer.

The CanSense CRC test uses laser light and artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze a small sample of blood for signs of proteins released by colon cancer cells.

It currently has a relatively high ‘false positive rate’ – when patients are identified as having cancer when in fact they are not. As a result, a colonoscopy is still needed to confirm the result.

But scientists say the blood test could be used to great effect to prioritize the colonoscopy waiting list, as it is cheap, fast and non-invasive.

Two hundred patients waiting for a colonoscopy in Swansea are being offered it as a precursor to a wider rollout. They should be monitored after beating colon cancer or removing precancerous lesions called polyps.

Colorectal surgeon Professor Dean Harris, who has been working with a team at Swansea University to develop the test, said there were 3,000 people in the city in this situation, some of whom had been waiting for years.

Guidelines say such patients need a colonoscopy every one to three years, depending on the circumstances.

However, Prof Harris said, ‘All that [checking] activity stopped during the pandemic and now there is a huge backlog, not just in Swansea, but everywhere.”

Some are only checked if they develop possible symptoms of cancer – which may be too late.

Prof Harris added: ‘We want to help prioritize which patients should be put on the list to have their colonoscopy done as soon as possible, based on the result of this blood test.’ He believes the test could have a “huge impact” on the waiting list, beyond just helping with screening [cancer] survivors, but also to identify the disease in the first place’.

The tests currently cost around £100 a time – about a quarter of the cost of a colonoscopy – but Professor Harris said this was likely to fall further as more tests were carried out. The initial rollout is funded by the Moondance Cancer Initiative, Cancer Research Wales and the National Institute for Health and Care Research.