Methods for disease diagnosis from stool samples
AssigneeExact Laboratories, Inc.
InventorsStanley N. Lapidus, Anthony P. Shuber
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Abstract
The present invention provides methods for preparing a stool sample in order to screen for the presence of indicators of a disease, for example a subpopulation of cancerous or precancerous cells. The methods take advantage of the recognition that cellular debris from cancerous and precancerous cells is deposited onto only a longitudinal stripe of stool as the stool is forming in the colon. Accordingly, methods of the invention comprise obtaining a representative sample, such as a circumferential or cross-sectional sample of stool in order to ensure that any disease indicator, such as cellular debris that is shed by colonic cells, is obtained in the sample.
Claims18
A method of screening for the presence of a cancerous or precancerous colorectal lesion in a patient, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a sample comprising a circumferential surface of a stool voided by a patient;
- and
- b) performing an assay to detect in the sample characteristics indicative of the presence of said lesion.
A method for screening for the presence of a colorectal cancer or precancerous lesion in a patient, the method comprising the steps of:
- a) obtaining a stool voided by a patient;
- b) removing a circumferential surface from said stool;
- and
- c) performing an assay on said surface to detect characteristics indicative of the presence of cells or cellular debris shed onto said stool thereby to screen said stool for indicia of said lesion.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.