A new more accurate way to spot severe forms of bowel cancer has been developed by the stem cell scientists. It allows for a tailored treatment that may improve patients’ chances to survive.

According to British researchers, patients with some severe kind of bowel cancer may be spotted early after testing for a stem cell indicatory protein known as Lamin A.

The researchers suggested that patients with positive Lamin A must be given chemotherapy aside from the operation as it increases their odds to survive.

This new finding is an example of those new developed tests that help doctors to make a decision regarding treatment for different stages of cancer.

In the early two stages of bowel cancer, patients have to undergo a surgery to remove the tumor but it is seldom that they are given chemotherapy at these stages. The toxic treatment at these stages proves harmful instead of beneficial.

According to these new findings, almost one third of early-stage patient will have the Lamin A stem cell indicator and chemotherapy is likely to prove beneficial for them.

Robert Wilson, who is a bowel cancer specialist at the James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, says in this connection, “No doubt, Chemotherapy has been found quite useful but it can have a lot of side effects and that’s why we try to use it where we consider that it will surely help.”

A team from North East England Stem Cell Institute and Durham University is considering developing a vital prognostic tool that will be widely used in hospitals.