New bowel cancer test could save lives

A new test for bowel cancer that could save 1,200 lives a year has been developed by researchers in Germany. The test detects an enzyme called Tumour M2-PK, a by-product of tumour growth that leaks from cancerous tissue and can be detected in faeces. The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, said that while blood in the stool is a symptom of bowel cancer, doctors were previously unable to distinguish whether a tumour or a minor complaint such as piles caused bleeding. However, the new test can definitively establish whether bleeding is due to cancer and therefore, prevent ...