Jennifer Matthews: 10 years ago, Linda Echternkamp had a large mass in her colon, a cancer that was growing fast.
Linda Echternkamp: It wasn't an easy road for me, but lucky enough, I'm here.
Jennifer Matthews: Now, she hopes new advances can help others beat the odds, too.
Linda Echternkamp: If there's any testing that can help patients get in and be checked easier by a simple blood test, I think that's really marvelous.
Jennifer Matthews: Now there is a new blood test detects an altered gene linked to colon cancer.
William Grady: I think this test shows a lot of promise.
Jennifer Matthews: Since you don't have to collect a stool sample, Doctor William Grady says more people are likely to get screened to determine if they need a colonoscopy. But he says the new test doesn't compare to the gold standard just yet.
William Grady: The blood based test is better than older blood based tests but still is only about half as good as colonoscopy.
Jennifer Matthews: For Linda, any advance is good against a disease that runs deep in her family. Her father died of colon cancer. Her son and daughter are at high risk and get regular colonoscopies. As for her grandchildren.
Linda Echternkamp: They have a 50-50 chance of being positive.
Jennifer Matthews: As technology improves, she hopes all they will need is a simple blood test. This is Jennifer Matthews reporting.
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