# HEMOQUANT DETECTION OF COLORECTAL NEOPLASIA

> **NIH NIH R01** · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · 1988 · $35,000

## Abstract

Colorectal cancer is a major public health problem as one in 20 Americans
will acquire this disease, the cause of which is unknown.  Therapeutic
advances have not improved survival in recent decades.  Improved survival
depends on early diagnosis.  As colon cancers bleed at early stages,
measurement of fecal blood appears to be the most cost-effective screening
approach.  However, available tests, largely guaiac-based, are chemically
unreliable.  A new assay, HemoQuant, measures the fluorescence of
heme-derived porphyrin, and appears to have major biochemical and clinical
advantages over guaiac tests.  Preliminary studies have shown that
HemoQuant highly discriminates symptomatic colorectal cancer from healthy
subjects.  The aims are to:  (1)\assess the validity of HemoQuant in
detecting asymptomatic colorectal neoplasms and compare this with Hemoccult
results; (2)\determine if measurement of that portion of heme degraded to
porphyrin during intestinal transit predicts the anatomic level of bleeding
lesions; (3)\describe the bleeding patterns of colorectal neoplasms; and
(4)\optimize the HemoQuant screening process.  The North Central Cancer
Treatment Group (NCCTG) provides a large asymptomatic population at
higher-than-average risk for colorectal cancer:  an estimated 1200 patients
with prior resection of a colon cancer and 4000 first order relatives of
these patients.  Subjects will be screened with Hemoccult and HemoQuant at
6-month intervals and either evaluated with routine proctoscopy and colon
X-rays (post-operative patients) or evaluated based on abnormal screening
results over 5 years.  This study represents the final phase of HemoQuant
testing required to justify its application in a controlled screening trial
of a general population.  (3)

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 3179173
- **Project number:** 3R01CA039765-03S1
- **Recipient organization:** MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER
- **SAM.gov UEI:** Y2K4F9RPRRG7
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID A AHLQUIST
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 1988
- **Award amount:** $35,000
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 1985-09-01 → 1988-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/3179173

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 3179173, HEMOQUANT DETECTION OF COLORECTAL NEOPLASIA (3R01CA039765-03S1). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/3179173. Licensed CC0.

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