Multicancer Early Detection — Ready for Prime Time?

Early cancer detection is the goal of screening programs, but screening detects only about 15% of cancers. Recently, identifying circulating tumor DNA (cell-free DNA) has emerged as a potential tool for broad-based cancer screening using a single blood test. Results of the first randomized trial of this approach now have been published.

In the industry-sponsored NHS-Galleri trial, U.K. researchers randomized 140,000 participants (age range, 50–77) without active cancer to a proprietary cell-free DNA–based blood test or to standard care for three annual screening cycles. The primary end point was stage III or IV cancer across 12 prespecified cancer types.