New blood test can detect more than 50 types of cancer, researchers say
Researchers say a new blood test, called Galleri, is effective at finding over 50 cancers that often go undetected in their early stages. The test offers a promising look into the future, when new types of multi-cancer screenings could catch more cancers early enough to save lives.
In the US, there are several cancer screening tests available, but the National Cancer Institute considers tests for only four cancers effective (colorectal, lung, breast and cervical). The multi-cancer Galleri test, which the Mayo Clinic has called "groundbreaking," is meant to complement existing cancer-screening tests, according to Galleri's maker, Grail.
The test is commercially available in the US (all states except New York) and can be ordered by health care professionals for patients age 50 and older, or those who are at risk for cancer. But it'll likely be a few years before Galleri is used as a go-to diagnostic tool.
The test hasn't been OK'd by the Food and Drug Administration, with Grail planning to seek full approval in 2023, according to biopharmaceutical news site Fierce Biotech. And more studies of the test are scheduled. England's National Health Service is set to launch a pilot study of Galleri this fall, the Guardian reported, with results expected in 2023.
