A Cancer Blood Test Shows Promise — But Is it the Breakthrough Clinicians Were Waiting For?
Early detection of cancer can mean the difference between prompt treatment and a life-changing diagnosis. For decades, doctors and scientists have pursued the same goal: a simple blood test that could detect cancer early, long before symptoms appear.
Then Theranos came along, the health tech startup claiming to have developed a revolutionary device testing small amounts of blood for a wide range of diseases and conditions, reminding everyone that it’s easier to promise the future than to build it.
Now, nearly a decade later, a new generation of biotech companies is daring to try again. One test in particular, called Galleriesis receiving increased attention after a large new clinical study showed it could significantly increase cancer detection when used alongside routine screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies.
This begs the question: Is this the cancer blood test drug we’ve been waiting for?
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Cancer detection increased sevenfold
Galleries is a “multiple cancer early detection” (MCED) test developed by GRAIL, Inc. The latest data demonstrating the test’s capability comes from a comprehensive study called PATHFINDER 2, which enrolled nearly 36,000 adults ages 50 and older in the United States and Canada. These were not people who already suspected they had cancer, but a real population who were getting screened. The researchers analyzed the results of the first 25,000 participants who had followed up for at least one year.
The result was that when Galleries was added to routine cancer screening, overall cancer detection increased sevenfold. Even more encouraging, more than half of the cancers Galleri detected were at an early stage, when treatment is simpler, more effective and often life-saving.
In addition, three quarters of cancers Galleries detected are not currently subject to any standard screening test. Currently, U.S. guidelines routinely detect only a handful of cancers (such as breast, colon, cervical, and lung), although about 70% of cancer deaths come from cancers we don’t screen for regularly, explained Nima Nabavizadeh, MD, and associate professor of radiation medicine at Oregon Health and Science University, in a press release.
Galleries It also proved surprisingly effective at a crucial task: directing doctors to the right body system. During the trial, it correctly identified where the cancer signal was coming from 92% of the time, helping doctors choose imaging and follow-up tests more quickly instead of casting a wide net.
Blood tests will not replace mammograms and colonoscopies
False positives and false negatives occur with all screening tests, including this one. Gilberto Lopes, MD, and chief of medical oncology at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, said The United States today that a positive result does not always mean you have cancer. And a negative answer doesn’t guarantee that you won’t do it.
If Galleries signals a possible cancer signal, doctors still need imaging, laboratory tests and sometimes biopsies to confirm it. That means time, money and anxiety for patients waiting for answers, Lopes said.
Currently, the test is recommended for adults 50 and older, especially those at higher risk of cancer. And it’s prescription-only, meaning your doctor must prescribe it and help you interpret the results based on your medical history. Galleries nor does it replace standard screening. Mammograms and colonoscopies remain your first line of defense.
Doctors feel positive about new blood test for cancer
So far, the safety profile looks encouraging. In the study, no serious medical events were linked to the test itself or the diagnostic follow-ups. The company plans to submit this data to the FDA to seek approval for broader use. If insurers and Medicare eventually agree to reimburse the test, it could become much more accessible.
Doctors are cautiously optimistic. Cancer specialist Mohamed Abazeed, who was not involved in the research, summarized in The United States today that Galleries can help identify deadly cancers that would otherwise slip through the cracks, without overwhelming patients or healthcare systems with unnecessary testing.
Adoption is already growing. More than 15,000 clinicians have started prescribing it, and hospital systems in states like Illinois, Indiana and Missouri now offer it. For patients who have waited decades for better warning signs, this could finally be a step toward a future where cancer isn’t the first to make the first move.
This article does not offer medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.
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