Swiss researchers achieve breakthrough in the fight against bowel cancer

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• Geneva researchers have developed a method for diagnosing cancer using stool samples
• Initial studies show a hit rate of 90 percent, almost as high as colonoscopies
• Artificial intelligence analyzes bacterial signatures in the intestine

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Stool sample instead of colonoscopy: A research team at the University of Geneva has developed a new method that detects colorectal cancer by analyzing intestinal bacteria in stool samples.

As the university announced on Monday, clinical studies in collaboration with the University Hospital of Geneva will now examine which stages of cancer can be reliably detected using the method.

In initial studies, the method detected 90 percent of bowel cancer cases. By comparison, conventional colonoscopies detect around 94 percent of cases.

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. If it is detected early, the chances of treatment are good. However, the currently most important diagnostic technique, colonoscopy, is often delayed due to high costs and inconvenience, according to the university.

Microbial inventory

In order to develop the new procedure, the researchers first collected extensive stool samples from healthy individuals and colorectal cancer patients. In these samples, they identified each individual bacterial species and thus created a detailed "microbial inventory" of the human intestine.

They then used artificial intelligence to recognize patterns and correlations between the composition of intestinal bacteria and the occurrence of colorectal cancer. In this way, the system was able to determine typical bacterial signatures that indicate the disease. The findings were published in the journal "Cell Host & Microbe".