Blood tests encourage more people to participate in regular screening for colorectal cancer

Epigenomics AG (Frankfurt Prime Standard: ECX), the cancer molecular diagnostics company, today announced the results of a survey conducted at europacolon's first European CRC Patient Conference, The Power of Patient Voice 2011, showing that patients believe tests using blood samples would encourage more people to participate in regular screening for colorectal cancer.

“Family Matters: What You and Your Family Need to Know about Colon Cancer”

Of the participants in the survey, more than 50% had previously heard of the possibility of CRC blood testing and more than 70% thought that using a blood test would encourage more people to participate in regular screening for colorectal cancer. Some of the most often mentioned reasons that survey participants gave for preferring blood tests were ease-of-use and simplicity, not having to handle stool samples as necessary for conventional non-invasive testing, and overall fit with other routine blood tests.

The survey was jointly conducted by Epigenomics and europacolon, the first European non-profit organization dedicated to colorectal cancer. europacolon's mission is to prevent deaths from colorectal cancer and improve the quality of life and support for those affected by the disease. Epigenomics has developed the world's first in vitro diagnostic blood test for the early detection of colorectal cancer known as the Septin9 Test and fully supports europacolon in its fight against colorectal cancer.

Jola Gore-Booth, the Founder and CEO of europacolon commented: "We are delighted that over 140 delegates from 27 countries globally attended this first ever Colorectal Cancer Patient Conference. The great success of the Conference has given us enormous encouragement in our work to promote the prevention and early diagnosis of colorectal cancer in all European countries. Putting in place formal population screening programs for all the citizens of Europe is essential for effective prevention of colorectal cancer and for saving thousands of lives. A blood test for the early detection of colorectal cancer could remove some of the hurdles to effective compliance to colorectal cancer screening and be instrumental in reducing mortality from this killer disease."

Independent of the europacolon survey, Quest Diagnostics, one of Epigenomics' partners in the U.S.A., in June announced, in collaboration with the U.S. non-profit organization Colon Cancer Alliance, the results of a jointly conducted U.S. national telephone survey of more than 1,300 men and women 50 years of age and older. In this survey, 31% of the participants reported that they had never been screened for CRC. Of the respondents between 60-70 years of age that had previously participated in screening, 33% stated that they had only been screened once in the past. These results demonstrate widespread lack of adherence to national guidelines in the U.S.A., which recommend regular screening by colonoscopy in combination with other tests for colorectal cancer for all men and women aged 50 and older. When asked about the option of a blood test, 78% of the participants said that they were likely to take a blood test for colorectal cancer screening and 75% said they were more likely to get screened more frequently if a blood test was offered to them. The survey results were presented during the Colon Cancer Alliance's national conference "Family Matters: What You and Your Family Need to Know about Colon Cancer," which was held June 23-25 in Denver, CO, U.S.A.

Dr. Jürgen Beck, M.D., Senior VP Medical Affairs of Epigenomics, commented: "The lack of widespread acceptance and regular utilization of conventional methods for the early detection of colorectal cancer, such as colonoscopy and stool tests, severely limit the potential of screening to reduce mortality from this common cancer. The two surveys in Europe and the U.S.A. clearly show the potential of blood-based screening as an approach to increase compliance. We expect these findings to be substantiated further through studies into patient preferences and screening adherence that are ongoing at clinical centers in the U.S.A. and Europe."

Colorectal cancer is curable in more than 90% of cases if diagnosed while still localized. Nevertheless, this disease is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related deaths in the industrialized world due to lack of adherence to current screening recommendations.