With the use of a stool sample, doctors can detect many types of cancer such as colon and other digestive tract including the stomach, pancreas, bile ducts and cancer of the esophagus.

The test detects the genetic material on the surface of cancer cells.
Dr. David Ahlquist of the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota, told the meeting of the Digestive Disease Week in Chicago.
The exact test showed negative results in 70 healthy patients who were tested. Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have demonstrated the effectiveness of the test as a noninvasive method to find colon cancer.

The test examines DNA testing to deliver the changes in the lining of the colon and rectum. The surface of cancer cells in tumors and precancerous polyps show recognizable changes or DNA markers.

For the study, researchers used 70 patients with various cancers of the digestive tract, including colon, throat, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, bile ducts, gallbladder and small intestine to see if the genetic mutations found in stool samples . It was also used to test 70 healthy patients.

The stool sample test found 65 percent of esophageal cancers, 62 percent of pancreatic cancers and 75 percent of the bile duct and gallbladder cancer.

And found 100 percent of stomach and colorectal cancers. The test worked equally well in the first and last stage of cancer.