China’s National Health Commission Releases the 2024 Edition of Early Diagnosis and Treatment for Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is a significant health concern in China, with high incidence and mortality rates. Research indicates that screening and early diagnosis, especially for high-risk groups, can significantly improve early detection and reduce mortality.

In 2022, China reported 517,100 new cases of colorectal cancer, making up 10.7% of all malignant tumors. There were 240,000 deaths from colorectal cancer, representing 9.3% of all cancer-related deaths. The incidence and mortality rates for colorectal cancer were 36.63 and 17.00 per 100,000 people, respectively, both showing an upward trend. Despite improvements in the 5-year survival rate, it remains relatively low. Early detection and treatment are crucial for enhancing survival rates.

Key risk factors for colorectal cancer include high consumption of red and processed meats, alcohol use, smoking, obesity, diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, and family history. Conversely, dietary fiber, dairy products, and regular physical activity are protective factors.

Colonoscopy is the recommended first-line screening method. For individuals who cannot tolerate or comply with colonoscopy, alternative screening methods include immunoassays, chemical fecal occult blood tests, sigmoidoscopy, colon CT imaging, and multi-targeted fecal DNA tests.

Latest Updates from Key Domestic and International Companies

Guardant Health

On July 29, 2024, Guardant Health announced that FDA has approved the company’s Shield™ blood test for colorectal cancer screening in adults age 45 and older who are at average risk for the disease. This marks the first FDA-approved blood test as a primary screening option for colorectal cancer.

Exact Sciences

On June 20, 2023, Exact Sciences reported positive top-line results from the pivotal BLUE-C study. The results demonstrated that the next-generation Cologuard® met all study endpoints and improved every key metric, including a 30% lower false positive rate compared to the DeeP-C trial, which was the FDA registrational study for Cologuard.

New Horizon Health

On April 8, 2024, New Horizon Health presented research data on its blood-based colorectal cancer screening product at the American Association of Cancer Research. The study included 836 participants: 238 controls, 373 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, 41 inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, 5 patients with carcinoma in situ (Tis), and 179 patients with advanced precancerous lesions (APL). Samples were randomly divided into training, testing, and independent validation groups. The predictive algorithm achieved an AUC of 0.953 in the independent validation group, with overall sensitivity and specificity of 92.1% and 93.2%, respectively, and a sensitivity of 62.6% for detecting precancerous lesions.

BGI

Uppsala University in Sweden, in collaboration with BGI Research, conducted a whole-genome and transcriptome sequencing analysis on 1,063 colorectal cancer samples. This is currently the largest multi-omics study on colorectal cancer worldwide.