A new device helps screen adults for colorectal cancer

ColoGuard is intended to screen adults 45 years of age and older who are at average risk of colorectal cancer by detecting certain DNA markers and blood in the stool. They entered the Phoenix market when they acquired companies and and technologies from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the International Genomics Consortium (IGC) both located on the Phoenix Bioscience Core inn the TGen building where Exact Sciences is also located.

Exact Sciences is the company behind ColoGuard.

Kevin Parker, Vice President of Precision Oncology Business Operations at Exact Sciences joined us for the discussion.

What is ColoGuard?

“ColoGuard is a test you can take for colorectal cancer screenings for average risk people aged 45 and older. You can do that in the comfort of your own home, so you provide a stool sample, send it off to the lab, and we check for whether there is blood or DNA evidence of cancer in your stool sample,” said Parker.

How is average risk defined?

“Basically no history of colorectal cancer in the past, you don’t have a family history, those types of things,” explained Parker.

They would receive more information through your medical provider.

“For elevated risk, often times your provider would recommend a colonoscopy,” said Parker.

How do you get and use ColoGuard?

“To learn more about it, you certainly can go to our website exactsciences.com or cologuardtest.com. You can also go to your provider, and your provider will give you more information,” said Parker.

He mentioned that the company has a sales team that makes an effort to educate physicians.

How long for results?

“Usually a week to ten days it takes to get back. They come back to your doctor first, and so they would have a conversation with you, but the test results would also come back to you,” said Parker.

The results are 92% sensitive to presents of colorectal cancer; however, test results should be treated with caution.