Study: Genetic Mutations in Colonic Lavage Fluid May Aid Cancer Diagnosis

Detecting genetic mutations in colonic lavage fluid may be a viable diagnostic tool for screening patients with colorectal cancer, according to German researchers.

Colonic lavage involves irrigating the colon. In their study published in the journal Digestion, researchers analyzed the colonic lavage fluid of 45 patients with adenomas, 20 with colorectal carcinomas, and 38 with nonneoplastic and noninflammatory colon diseases as a control group.

Mutations were found in the colonic lavage fluid of 15.6 percent of the patients with adenomas, 25 percent of those with carcinomas and 2.6 percent of the control group.

The researchers concluded that genetic alterations in colonic lavage fluid could be used in the diagnosis of patients with colorectal tumors.

Other sources:Digestion