A new type of blood test, called a multi-cancer early detection test (MCED), could change the way cancer is found and treated.
This simple test looks for chemical signals in the blood that indicate the presence of many types of cancer, even before symptoms appear.
According to a study published in BMJ Open, using this test regularly could help catch cancers early, when they are easier to treat, and potentially save lives.
Right now, only a few cancers are screened for regularly—like breast, bowel, cervix, and lung cancer in high-risk groups. These tests do help reduce deaths, but they can also sometimes show false positives, leading to unnecessary worry and treatments.
The researchers of the study believe that adding the MCED test to regular screenings, either every year or every two years, could improve cancer detection and prevent cancer from reaching advanced stages.
To understand how well this test could work, the researchers used a disease progression model that was created in earlier studies. This model looks at how different types of cancer grow over time and predicts what might happen if people aged 50 to 79 took the MCED test regularly.
The study focused on two main cancer growth patterns: “fast,” where cancer stays in its early stage (Stage I) for about two to four years before getting worse, and “fast aggressive,” where cancer stays in Stage I for only one to two years before spreading more quickly.
The types of cancers included in the study were broad, covering more than 20 types, such as cancers of the breast, bowel, liver, lung, pancreas, prostate, stomach, and many others, including blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma.
The researchers used information from previous studies on how well the MCED test works, as well as cancer statistics from the US Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program.
Their analysis showed that using the MCED test, no matter the schedule, resulted in more early-stage cancer diagnoses compared to just the usual care. The benefit was greater for cancers that grew at a “fast” rate rather than those with “fast aggressive” growth.
For example, if people were screened every year with the MCED test under the “fast” growth scenario, 370 more cancers were detected each year for every 100,000 people tested. This resulted in 49% fewer cases of late-stage cancer and 21% fewer deaths within five years compared to people who only received regular care.
Screening every two years also helped, but not as much as yearly testing. It caught 292 more cancer signals per 100,000 people, led to 39% fewer late-stage diagnoses, and 17% fewer deaths within five years.
Even though it wasn’t as effective in catching early cancers as annual testing, biennial screening was more efficient. It found more cancers for each test taken and prevented more deaths for every 100,000 tests completed.
The researchers noted that about 392 people are diagnosed each year with fast-growing cancers that are likely to be fatal within five years. With biennial MCED screening, 54 (14%) of these deaths could have been avoided.
With annual MCED screening, the number rises to 84 (21%). The study suggests that regular use of this blood test could intercept 31–49% of cancers at early stages (Stage I or II) that would otherwise be found at more dangerous stages (Stage III or IV).
The researchers admit that these findings are based on perfect conditions where everyone gets screened on schedule and follow-up tests are always accurate. This may not reflect real-world conditions.
They also acknowledge that simply diagnosing cancer earlier does not always mean a person will survive longer; that also depends on the effectiveness of treatments and individual health conditions. The ideal timing for screening—whether yearly or every two years—will also depend on real-world survival rates and the costs of follow-up testing after a positive MCED result.
In summary, this study suggests that the MCED test could be a powerful tool for catching cancers early, reducing late-stage diagnoses, and saving lives. Both annual and biennial screenings have their own strengths: yearly tests are more effective in catching early cancers and reducing deaths, while biennial tests are more efficient with fewer false positives.
If widely used alongside current cancer screening methods, the MCED test could be a game-changer in cancer prevention and treatment.
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The research findings can be found in BMJ Open.
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