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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2025 Jan 4.
Published in final edited form as: Clin Chem. 2024 Jan 4;70(1):150–164. doi: 10.1093/clinchem/hvad198

Table 3.

Emerging Non-Invasive, Lab-Based Strategies for CRC Screening

Later phase, large-scale prospective studies
Study Specimen Source Assay/Approach Study Design Enrolled subjects (n) Test Characteristics
Evaluation of the ctDNA LUNAR Test in an Average Patient Screening Episode (ECLIPSE)(90) Blood Measurement of ctDNA Observational study of average risk patients ages 45–84 years old, undergoing routine CRC screening 22,877 CRC sensitivity: 83%, CRC Specificity: 90%, AA Sensitivity: 13%*
Prevention of Colorectal Cancer Through Multiomics Blood Testing (PREEMPT CRC)(92) Blood Measurement of tumor and non-tumor derived signals from ctDNA, epigenetic and protein biomarkers Observational study of average risk patients ages 45–85 >30,000 Not published yet, prior data from earlier trial shows CRC sensitivity: 94%, CRC Specificity: 94%*
Colorectal Cancer and Pre-Cancerous Adenoma Non-Invasive Detection Test Study (CRC-PREVENT)(40) Stool Multi-target stool RNA test plus a FIT Interventional study of average risk individuals >45 years of age 8,289 CRC sensitivity: 94%, AA sensitivity: 45%, Specificity: 88%
Clinical Validation of An Optimized Multi-target Stool DNA (Mt-sDNA 2.0) Test, for Colorectal Cancer Screening “BLUE-C”(93) Stool Mt-sDNA 2.0 screening test Observational study including patients age 40 and older who are enrolled in screening colonoscopy and will also complete mt-sDNA 2.0 test and FIT 23,494 CRC sensitivity: 94%, CRC Specificity: 91%, AA Sensitivity: 43%*
Early phase studies
Sample Collection Study for the CellMax Life Circulating Tumor Cell and Circulating Tumor DNA Platforms for the Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer and Adenomas (91) Blood Evaluation of aberrations in ctDNA via NGS, detection of circulating epithelial cells Observational study of average risk patients ages 45–80 1,038 CRC sensitivity: 92.1%, AA sensitivity: 54.5%, AA specificity: 91%*
Collection of Samples USOPTIVAL Study (96) Blood Evaluation of cell-free DNA methylation and fragmentation characteristics, tumor-derived signal deduction and machine learning algorithm Observational study of patients between the ages of 45 and 84 who were either average risk or had suspected AA or newly diagnosed CRC that has not been resected 997 CRC sensitivity: 93%, AA sensitivity 54%, AA specificity: 92%*
Non-invasive Identification of Colorectal Cancer and Adenomas in Early Stages (NICE)(95) Blood InterVenn Glycoprotein test Prospective, multi-site study using glycoproteomic testing for early detection of advanced adenoma and colorectal cancer for average-risk patients undergoing routine screening colonoscopy 575 Not available
*

Data available from abstracts only

Data from the above clinical trials were cited from multiple sources(9096)

CRC, colorectal cancer; ctDNA, Circulating tumor DNA ;FIT, fecal immunochemical test; MTs-DNA, Multitarget stool DNA; AA, advanced adenoma; NGS, next generation sequencing.