Affordable Blood-Based Test Provides Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most lethal and expensive cancer in the US, with over 150,000 new diagnoses and 50,000 deaths annually. Shockingly, of the 131 million Americans eligible for CRC screening each year, a massive 45 million opt out – accounting for 65% of CRC deaths and 75% of CRC treatment expenses (a hefty USD 18 billion each year) as well as lost productivity costs of USD 20 billion. Recent research has shown that 84% of the population prefers blood testing to fecal testing. Now, a newly-launched CRC blood test improves screening compliance and consequently, the probability of survival while sharply bringing down CRC treatment costs and eliminating the need for fecal collection.

Beacon Biomedical (Phoenix, AZ, USA) has announced the commercial release of the BeScreened Colorectal Cancer (CRC) test, a laboratory developed test (LDT) that meets the needs of average-risk men and women over 45 who prefer blood-based screening over colonoscopy or fecal-based tests. The BeScreened-CRC test is designed to drive improved compliance and early detection - which can result in survival rates of 90%, as against merely 14% if detected later. The test is the preferred blood-based modality, one of the most accurate tests in the industry with an accuracy rate of 94.6%, and is much more affordable than other available screening options.

Image: BeScreened-CRC is a screening test that aids in the detection of colorectal cancer (Photo courtesy of Beacon Biomedical)

"Too many lives are lost every year to colorectal cancer. The real tragedy is the majority of these deaths are preventable as they can be directly attributed to non-compliance with existing screening methods," said Don Weber, Founder & CEO of Beacon Biomedical. "As a simple, easy to adopt, and highly accurate blood-based test for CRC screening, BeScreened was developed to address this very problem."

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Beacon Biomedical