Blood Tests to Screen for Dozens of Cancers Still Not Ready for Widespread Use
Blood tests that claim to screen for dozens of different cancers at once are being developed and some are already for sale. But none have been approved by the FDA, and whether they actually work for cancer screening is still unknown.
For more than a decade, doctors have dreamed of a simple blood test that could screen for many different types of cancer at once. These tests, called multi-cancer detection or MCD tests, look for signs of cancer in blood samples.
Dozens of these blood tests are now being developed, and some companies are already selling them directly to consumers. The tests promise to detect cancer early, when treatment is most likely to work.
But there's a major catch: no MCD tests have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Scientists don't yet know if these tests actually work for cancer screening in healthy people without symptoms.
The American Cancer Society warns that even if an MCD test comes back negative, people should still get their regular cancer screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies. A negative test result doesn't guarantee someone is cancer-free.
Experts say people should also watch for new cancer symptoms even after a negative blood test result. The tests are not meant to replace proven screening methods that doctors already recommend.
These tests could help catch cancer early when it's easier to treat. But false results could cause unnecessary worry or missed diagnoses. People might also skip proven cancer screenings thinking one blood test is enough.
Researchers are conducting clinical trials to test whether MCD blood tests actually save lives by catching cancer early.
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