image by: ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology

HWN Suggests

Could a simple blood test detect cancer at an early—and more treatable—stage? The technology exists—and FDA approval may not be far off

Could a single blood test detect a multitude of potential cancers—early enough to give you not just a fighting chance, but the most optimal opportunity to beat the damned thing?

Like cancer vaccines, cancer blood panels aren’t some far-flung, futuristic goal. Multi-cancer early detection tests, known as MCEDs, are a thing—right now. Today. Google the phrase and you’ll find multiple products available for purchase. You can have one at your door in mere days.

t’s a concept that has promise, experts say. “The technology is advancing truly at a rapid pace,” Karen Knudsen, CEO of the American Cancer Society, tells Fortune. “I think all of us in the oncology world think that…

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 What are multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests, and should you get one?

"The world of cancer screening is on the cusp of a transformative shift with the rise of MCED tests," says Robert Volk, Ph.D., professor, Health Services Research. "But we need to have standardized, unbiased patient decision aids in place by the time they are approved."

Previously Featured

A Blood Test Hits the Market That Could Replace the Biopsy -- And Just Might Save Lives

It has long been known that blood carries genetic material from the dying cells of tumors, but the fragments are in such low concentrations that it has been difficult to reliably read the information. It’s akin to a low resolution photograph: As you zoom in, the details become a meaningless blur. But Guardant has developed a new way of preparing samples — through a proprietary process they declined to share — that allows them to effectively capture higher-resolution snapshots of the tumor fragments when they sequence the genome. The company says it improves detection sensitivity by “well over 100-fold.”

Cancer-Detecting Blood Tests Gain Ground as New Market Opens Up

Tests from Grail and others aim to help clinicians diagnose more cancers earlier, though data are limited.

Considerations in the implementation of multicancer early detection tests

Given the observed disparity in cancer outcome that is outside biological differences, the need for effective early cancer detection raises the question ‘Could innovation in cancer screening narrow these persistent gaps?’ Our understanding of cancer biology has evolved dramatically from histologic stratification (e.g., in lung cancer) to genetic subtyping.

Evaluating multi-cancer early detection tests: an argument for the outcome of recurrence-updated stage

The potential widespread roll-out of MCED tests in nationwide screening programmes will be expensive and could carry harms that differ from traditional single-cancer screening. It is therefore imperative that any roll-out is supported by robust evidence for the test’s clinical efficacy and cost-effectiveness.

Multi-Cancer Early Detection

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) is a groundbreaking new type of cancer screening test that utilizes advances in genomic science and machine learning to transform cancer detection. Over 500 organizations are advocating to ensure access for seniors.

Multicancer early detection tests: where are we?

The holy grail of a highly sensitive and specific multicancer early detection test (MCED) has been a focus of much research over the last several decades.

Multicancer Screening Tests: Anticipating And Addressing Considerations For Payer Coverage And Patient Access

There is a tremendous public health need to identify potentially lethal cancers at earlier stages, when there is a greater chance for improved survival. Although in the US there are currently screening recommendations for only five cancers (breast, colorectal, cervical, lung, and prostate), new tests can screen for up to fifty cancers simultaneously based on a simple blood draw. However, these multicancer screening tests (also called “liquid biopsy” tests) will also present challenges to payers because of intrinsic features of the tests and the complexity of payer coverage assessments for screening tests.

This $1,000 Test Finds Signs of Cancer in Your Blood

The Galleri test is designed to detect more than 50 cancers. Doctors are split on whether it is worth the risks for patients.

What is Multi-Cancer Early Detection Testing?

Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) testing is a new way of screening for multiple types of cancer all at once through a simple blood sample. MCED testing aims to identify individuals with cancer at the earliest stages and should be used together with U.S. guideline-recommended cancer screenings. As with many other screening tests, additional testing is always needed to confirm a suspected cancer diagnosis when an MCED test returns a result of “cancer signal detected.”

Resources

Multicancer Early Detection Consortium

Communicating the impact of Multicancer Early Detection technologies on improving cancer detection and outcomes for all

Cancerguard

At Exact Sciences, we’re pioneering a paradigm shift in cancer detection. The Cancerguard™ test in development is being designed to detect multiple cancers in their earliest stages from a single blood draw.1 So we can start to close the gaps that exist in today’s cancer screening.

Grail

In 2021, GRAIL introduced a first-of-its-kind commercially available MCED test, the Galleri® test, which detects a signal shared by many cancers, including many cancers without recommended screening, with a single blood draw. MCED testing allows patients to be screened for a shared signal by more than 50 cancer types, increasing the chance of finding cancer early.1 The Galleri test does not detect a signal for all cancers and not all cancers can be detected in the blood. False positive and false negative results do occur.

Guardant Complete

A wide array of precision oncology assays and comprehensive support, all conveniently accessible in one, intuitive portal.