A simple blood test to support bowel cancer assessment when symptoms are present.
ColoSTAT® gives clinicians additional information to help decide who needs a colonoscopy first. No stool sample, no special preparation required.
Built on Australian CSIRO research · Developed by Rhythm Biosciences
- For patients symptomatic of bowel cancer, aged 45–84
- Results to the referring clinician in 4–10 working days
- Ordered alongside routine bloods, with collection participating 4Cyte Pathology collection centres
Any GP or specialist can order ColoSTAT®.
Most symptomatic referrals don’t find cancer. The ones that do can’t afford to wait.
Bowel cancer is Australia’s fourth most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death, with more than 5,000 deaths each year. It is highly treatable when found early. Colonoscopy remains the gold standard, but rising demand means long waits for everyone, including the patients who need it most.
5-year survival when diagnosed at Stage I or II
median public hospital wait for colonoscopy
of colonoscopies performed within the recommended 30 days
Australians diagnosed with bowel cancer each year
Stage at diagnosis changes everything.
Five-year survival is 99% when bowel cancer is found at Stage I, but falls to 13% once it has spread to other parts of the body (Stage IV).
With colonoscopy wait times growing across Australia, getting the right patients seen first can make all the difference.
Sources: Cancer Australia, National Cancer Control Indicators (5-year relative survival by stage, people diagnosed in 2011); Cancer Australia, bowel cancer statistics (AIHW data: incidence rank 2021, cause-of-death rank 2023, 2025 estimates); AIHW NBCSP monitoring report 2026.
ColoSTAT® is a blood test that fits between symptom presentation and the referral decision.
One standard blood sample. Five protein biomarkers associated with colorectal cancer. One clear ColoSTAT® Positive or ColoSTAT® Negative result for the requesting clinician.
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Step 1 · Sample
A standard blood draw
A routine serum blood sample, collected at a participating 4Cyte Pathology centre. No stool sample, no fasting, no bowel preparation.
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Step 2 · Measure
Five protein biomarkers
ColoSTAT® measures a panel of five blood proteins associated with the presence of colorectal cancer.
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Step 3 · Analyse
A validated algorithm
Rhythm’s algorithm combines the five biomarker levels into a single ColoSTAT® score and compares it with a validated cut-off.
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Step 4 · Report
A clear result
The requesting clinician receives a ColoSTAT® Positive or ColoSTAT® Negative report to use alongside their clinical judgement.
NATA Accredited test (ISO 15189)Built on biomarker research from CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency. Read the clinical white paper (PDF) →
Where ColoSTAT® sits in the clinical pathway.
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01
Symptoms present
Blood in stool, change in bowel habit, abdominal pain, bloating, fatigue, anaemia or weight loss.
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02
ColoSTAT® ordered
Request ColoSTAT® alongside routine bloods. No stool sample or special preparation required.
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03
Results returned
A clear ColoSTAT® Positive or ColoSTAT® Negative result is sent to the referring clinician within 4–10 working days.
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04
Informed next step
The clinician decides on referral priority, using the result alongside their clinical judgement.
Patients aged 45–84 presenting with symptoms associated with colorectal cancer.
Consider ColoSTAT® when
- Symptoms are vague or non-specific
- The need for referral is uncertain
- A stool-based test (FOBT/FIT) is declined, unsuitable, or unlikely to be completed
- There is concern about delays in access to colonoscopy
- Additional information would support discussion with the patient about next steps
Particularly valuable for
- Frail or older patients, where invasive procedures carry higher risk
- Patients reluctant to complete a stool-based test (FOBT/FIT)
- Patients with persistent symptoms that are difficult to characterise
- Patients whose symptoms don’t involve visible bleeding, such as a change in bowel habit, abdominal pain, weight loss or fatigue.
Not suitable for
- Asymptomatic patients
- Known high-risk hereditary syndromes (e.g. Lynch syndrome, FAP)
- Inflammatory bowel disease
- Chemotherapy within the last 12 months
- Patients under surveillance for a previous cancer
Detects early-stage disease as reliably as late-stage.
Many tests perform best once cancer is advanced. ColoSTAT® measures protein biomarkers in the blood and maintains its sensitivity in Stage I and II disease when treatment is most likely to be curative.
Sensitivity across all stages
Detects around 9 in 10 colorectal cancers in symptomatic patients, with Stage I/II performance equivalent to Stage III/IV.
Negative predictive value*
In clinical validation, 99.4% of patients with a ColoSTAT® Negative result did not have colorectal cancer.
Validated across populations
Clinical performance evaluated across multiple patient cohorts.
Sensitivity holds from early to late stage.
In clinical validation (ages 45–84), there was no statistically significant difference between early- and late-stage detection (p = 0.7).
Sensitivity by stage: validation cohort, ages 45–84 — He et al., J Gastrointest Cancer 2026 (in press), summarised in the ColoSTAT® clinical white paper (AU-WP-COLOSTAT-1-2).
*Clinical follow-up based on best-practice guidelines is still recommended, especially where symptoms persist.
The information you need depends on which side of the consultation you’re on.
Ordering ColoSTAT® takes four steps.
See how it works for clinicians and for patients.
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