A protein marker that predicts with a “high degree of accuracy” whether a person will develop colon cancer has been discovered by researchers at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. The team headed by Prof. Nadir Arber presented their findings to the American Society for Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Florida. The discovery, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, could make it unnecessary to undergo invasive tests.

The protein — identifiable in a simple blood test — is called CD24, says Arber. It predicts colon cancer very efficiently, he continues. Arber presented the research with Dr. Sarah Karus, director of the center’s lab.

Colon cancer is preventable if detected early. The least invasive test is testing stools for occult blood, but this is less accurate. The most accurate (90 percent) is a complete colonoscopy in which a thin tube containing a video device is threaded into the colon, but many people are reluctant to undergo it.