A new type of blood test may help detect multiple cancers early.
A California research team studied a new multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test called Galleri. This test is reported to be able to detect over 50 different diseases.
The study analyzed approximately 23,161 participants in the United States and Canada who were over 50 years old and had no symptoms.
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These participants underwent standard screening recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force for specific cancers. Including the chest Cervix, colorectum, lungs.
They also took the Garelli blood test, made by Grail, a biotechnology company based in Menlo Park, California.
researchers They compared standard screening alone to standard screening plus blood testing.
From a sample of more than 23,000 people, Galleri’s test found that cancer signal Of these, 216 people were infected, and 133 of them were confirmed to be infected.
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This means that there is a 61.6% chance that someone who tests positive with the Galleri test actually has cancer. The false positive rate was “very low” at about 0.4%, the researchers said.
More than half (53.5%) of the cancers detected at Galleri were stage 1 or 2, and 69.3% were stage 1 or 2.
The results showed that approximately three-quarters of the cancers identified in the study group currently lack standard screening options in the United States.
The study also found that cancer detection increased by more than seven times when used in conjunction with the Galleri blood test. standard screening.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, study author Nima Nababizadeh, M.D., Ph.D., associate professor of radiology at Oregon Health and Science University, said she was “incredibly encouraged” by these findings and what they mean for meeting unmet screening needs and detecting cancer early.
The researchers reiterated that the results suggest that positive tests should be “taken seriously.” The experimental blood test was able to accurately identify which organ the cancer was starting in 92% of the time, he added.
Josh Offman, MD, president of the pharmaceutical company GRAIL, commented in a press release that most deadly cancers are discovered “too late,” so adding Galleri to standard screening will help target new cancers earlier.
“Garelli’s ability to accurately predict where cancer signals are coming from in the body can also help guide more efficient diagnostic workup,” he said. “Galleri is the only MCED (multi-cancer early detection) test available that has been validated in an interventional trial in a screening population and has the potential to change the way testing is delivered.” cancer screening At the population level. ”
Fox News Medical Contributor Dr. Nicole Safier, Associate Radiology visit M.D., director of breast imaging at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Monmouth, N.J., reacted to these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
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Professor Safieh, who was not involved in the study, highlighted how early detection can save lives and reduce the overall cost of cancer treatment by catching the disease when it is most treatable.
”[This] This allows patients to live longer, healthier and more productive lives,” she said.
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Saphier commented that the multiple cancer blood test “adds a promising new layer to existing tools such as breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers.” lung cancer screeningmay detect cancers that may be missed by standard tests. ”
But while this new test is promising, it should complement, not replace, currently available screenings, experts added.
“Thoughtful, evidence-based synthesis is key to ensuring that happens. improve results “without unnecessary cost or disruption,” she said.
“With cancer on the rise among young people, the question now is whether we should expand the age range for screening and whether this blood test can play a role in that change.”
The study also did not directly compare the Galleri test with a control group that did not take the test in the same setting and conditions, making it difficult to fully determine the test’s benefit.
The press release states, “Test performance metrics do not represent the results of a direct comparison study.”
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Because the trial was an initial analysis with a short one-year follow-up, lead researcher Nabavizadeh suggested that a more complete analysis of all 35,000 participants in the study would be conducted in the future.
“We are also anxiously awaiting the results of the NHS-Galleri randomized trial to provide additional clinical utility data compared to standard of care screening alone,” he said.
