POTENTIAL FOR ANATOMIC LOCALIZATION IN COLORECTAL-CANCER USING THE SCM TEST

We analysed a series of 81 colorectal cancer cases in which the SCM (s tructuredness of the cytoplasmic matrix) test had already been perform ed with a diagnostic sensitivity of 92% and a specificity of 92.6%, yi elding positive and negative predictive values of 96.3% and 84.7% resp ectively. We subdivided this group of 81 patients by anatomic location of the malignancy. Although the resultant subgroups were admittedly s mall, we noted a tendency for the most prominent changes in observed a nd calculated polarization parameters to be associated with cecal canc ers. This finding was of special interest because the cecum is the mos t inaccessible site for colonoscopy. Ongoing site-specific surveillanc e in SCM-tested cases of colorectal cancer is necessary to validate th is result.