Blood test boosts cancer detection by seven-fold: What to know

A multicancer early detection blood test increased cancer detection rates more than sevenfold when provided alongside standard breast, colorectal, cervical and lung cancer screening in a clinical trial setting. 

The PATHFINDER 2 trial was led by principal investigator Nima Nabavizadeh, MD, chief medical officer at the Knight Cancer Institute’s Cancer Early Detection Advanced Research Center in Portland, Ore. It was the largest interventional multicancer early detection trial in North America, according to a Dec. 26 news release from Portland-based Oregon Health & Science University. 

Here are five things to know about the trial results:

1. The test screens for more than 50 types of cancer by analyzing blood to identify circulating cfDNA and using pattern recognition technology to predict where the cancer cells are originating. 
   

2. During the trial, the test accurately identified cancer in 62% of participants with a positive cancer signal. 
   

3. The test further identified cancer origins 92% of the time with a false-positive rate of 0.4%.
   
   
4. The majority of cancers were found in early stages, and less than 1% of study participants underwent an invasive procedure because of the test.
   
   
5. A third clinical trial, called REACH, will examine the blood test’s efficacy in the Medicare population. Up to 50,000 Medicare beneficiaries ages 50 and older will receive usual care plus an annual multicancer early detection blood test for three years. Oregon Health & Science University is currently enrolling trial participants.