Previstage™ GCC Colorectal Cancer Staging Test

This information is provided for educational purposes only. The Previstage™ GCC Colorectal Cancer Staging Test is not currently available. The test is being developed and its characteristics will be determined by DiagnoCure Oncology Laboratories.

The bowel has several layers of tissue. Colorectal cancers start in the innermost layer and can grow through some or all of the other layers. Cells from the tumor can then break away and spread through the bloodstream and/or lymph system, to other parts of the body. This process is called metastasis and it will dictate the course and severity of the cancer.

Normally, the GCC receptor is only found in the intestinal lining. When colorectal cancer metastasis occurs, tumor cells containing GCC may migrate through the lymphatic system and lodge in the lymph nodes near the tumor.

Using histopathology, the current approach to staging following surgery, the pathologist examines only a few thin slices of resected lymph node tissue, potentially missing a cancer. When looking at each section microscopically, it has been shown that at least 1 cancer cell must be present in every 200 normal cells to detect the spread of cancer. With this system about 30% of patients thought to have disease confined to the colon return with recurrent disease, presumably through occult metastases that have escaped histopathological detection.

In contrast, the technology employed in Previstage™ GCC can detect as few as 1 cancer cell among 10 million normal cells. In the test, minute quantities of GCC messenger RNA are amplified to magnify the presence of cancer cells. Previstage™ GCC could therefore be a leap forward which would provide physicians a significantly more sensitive tool for staging patients with colorectal cancer. Knowing the correct stage when the cancer is initially detected can assist physicians in making the appropriate treatment decision such as adjuvant chemotherapy. Early treatment may reduce the possibility of recurrence and associated mortality rate.

GCC is a biomarker that is normally found in the cells lining the intestine. When GCC is found outside of the intestine (such as in the lymph nodes) it is an early indication that colorectal cancer has spread. Previstage™ GCC is a molecular test for GCC that could detect these cells, providing very early evidence of cancer spread.

DiagnoCure intends to launch the Previstage™ GCC Colorectal Staging Test in 2008 through its CLIA service laboratory.