| [ Summary ] |
Various types of colorectal tumors which cause bleeding, include adenomas, polyposis, carcinomas, sarcomas and submucosal tumors. Among these tumors, carcinomas are clinically important, because the number of patients has increased significantly. In order to promoto earlier detection of colorectal cancer, mass screening has been done since 1990 in Japan. However, the fecal occult blood test is not specific for colorectal cancer and there are false-negative cases. Specific and highly sensitive methods are necessary for the detection of colorectal cancer at the earliest possible stage. Identifying oncogene mutations in exfoliated cancer cells and determining gene products of the relevant mutated genes in the stool are promising screening methods . |