University of Colorado researchers have discovered a new colon-cancer marker that could eventually eliminate the need for colonoscopies.
Led by Dr. Vasilis Vasiliou, professor of molecular toxicology at the university’s School of Pharmacy on the Anschutz Medical Campus, the researchers identified an enzyme that has the potential to be used to diagnose colon cancer earlier, when treatment has a better chance of being successful.
It also appears that the enzyme, known as ALDH1B1, may provide a way to treat the disease.
While it is at least five years away, Vasiliou said doctors could be able to test for the presence of the enzyme in blood or feces instead of performing a colonoscopy.
“This is all part of a really big national trend toward personalized medicine,” said Holli Riebel, president and chief executive of the Colorado BioScience Association. “By taking certain bio markers in each person’s DNA, you’re able to tell whether somebody has a propensity or carries a gene for certain diseases.”
That allows for early detection and treatment, which ultimately reduces health care costs, Riebel said.
Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the United States, with about 141,210 new cases and 49,380 deaths expected this year, according to the American Cancer Society.
There often aren’t symptoms in the early stages of the disease, which is why screening is important. Most cancers begin as a polyp, a small growth in the wall of the colon. As a polyp grows, it can bleed or obstruct the intestine. Warning signs include bleeding from the rectum, blood in the stool, dark-colored stools, cramping in the lower stomach and unintentional weight loss.
Vasiliou’s discoveries grew out of research on alcohol metabolism that was originally conducted nearly 50 years ago by Richard Dietrich, a School of Pharmacy graduate and CU pharmacology professor emeritus.
The ALDH1B1 enzyme originally was studied for its ability to metabolize alcohol and other toxic compounds in the body. Heavy alcohol use increases the risk of colon cancer.
Vasiliou’s research was funded by a two-year grant of $275,000 from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. He is now seeking a four-year grant of $400,000.
Margaret Jackson: 303-954-1473 or mjackson@denverpost.com
