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Applied Research and Development

Studies of Stool-Based DNA Screening 
 
The Science Behind Stool-Based DNA Screening 
 
Resource Center

Studies of Stool-Based DNA Screening

• In a 5,400 patient study, using a direct comparison between stool-based DNA screening for colon cancer and FOBT (Hemoccult II), stool-based DNA screening demonstrated a sensitivity four (4) times greater than FOBT for asymptomatic, average-risk individuals 50 years of age or older.
• Unlike bleeding, which can be intermittent or non-existent, DNA exfoliation occurs continuously and exfoliated cells are representative of the entire colon.
• Also, unlike bleeding, an indirect measure that is not associated with the underlying etiology of colorectal cancer, DNA alterations such as those in stool based DNA screening are specifically linked to the cause and actual presence of cancer and pre-malignant polyps.

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