Multicenter Study: Newest data on the M2-PK test published in journal “Gut and Liver”

Korean Scientists have published the very newest data on the M2-PK test in the renowned specialist journal ‚Gut and Liver‘.

Scientists from the College of Medicine at the Catholic University of Korea have published the very newest data on the M2-PK test from a multicenter study of colorectal cancer screening in the renowned specialist journal ‚Gut and Liver‘. The latest results from cancer expert Professor Yong Kim and his colleagues confirm the exceptionally high capability of the M2-PK test, particularly in comparison to the immunological fecal occult blood test (iFOBT), to detect adenomas and colorectal cancer.

Globally, colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in males and the second in females, with over 1.2 million new cases and 608,700 deaths estimated every year. Timely detection can dramatically reduce the risk of death from this disease. The chances of a ‚cure‘ are approaching 100% if diagnosed early.

In their study Professor Kim and colleagues investigated the enzymatic biomarker M2-PK with the help of volunteers in patient groups with 139 cases of colorectal cancer and 124 with adenoma, along with a population-based control group of 60 people, making a total of 323 subjects. The sensitivity of the M2-PK test was 92.8% for colorectal cancer and 69.4% for adenomas. In addition, they also compared the results of the M2-PK test with those of an immunological fecal occult blood test (iFOBT). This was clearly inferior to the M2-PK test. The iFOBT detected only 47.5% of the colon cancers and just 12.1% of the adenomas. Consequently, the M2-PK test detected twice as many colorectal cancer cases and nearly six times the number of adenomas than the immunological fecal occult blood test (iFOBT). These scientific results from the University of Korea categorically confirm the capability of the fecal M2-PK test for screening and early detection of colorectal cancer.

The enzyme biomarker M2-PK plays a decisive role as a key enzyme in the development of adenomas and colorectal cancer. The enzyme is completely independent from occult blood. M2-PK is specific for an altered metabolic activity of cells (a direct method). There are no false positive results from ‚non-specific‘ sources of blood, such as hemorrhoids. M2-PK also detects non-bleeding adenomas and colorectal tumors because it is not dependent upon the presence of blood.

The fecal M2-PK test, which is based on the principle of detecting M2-PK in the stool, is available as a qualitative rapid test for the doctor’s practice under the name of ScheBo® M2-PK QuickTM (ScheBo®• Biotech AG). Additionally, the M2-PK test is available as a fully quantitative ELISA stool test.

Combined with a colonoscopy to investigate positive results, the M2-PK test is a valuable tool to improve the early detection of adenomas and colorectal cancer.

The study presented here can be found in the specialist journal ‚Gut and Liver‘:

The Usefulness of a Novel Screening Kit for Colorectal Cancer Using the Immunochromatographic Fecal Tumor M2 Pyruvate Kinase Test.
Kim YC, et al.: Gut Liver 2015; 9(5): 641-648
http://www.gutnliver.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.5009/gnl13457
www.gutnliver.org