Presented at the 2022 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the results of this work pave the way for a simple blood test to detect many types of cancer at an early stage. A major revolution in cancer screening.
Today, cancer is one of the main causes of death in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2020, nearly 10 million people lost their lives to cancer globally. The discovery of this new cancer screening method would make it possible to intervene more quickly in the development of a treatment plan. Many lives could be saved.
A groundbreaking study
Many cancers often go undetected until they reach an advanced stage. The PATHFINDER study was done to examine the Galleri test. The latter was designed with the aim of detecting several types of cancer through a single blood test, while looking for cancer signals that may be present. In the event of detection of cancer, this test will make it possible to know its location in the body (the breast, the pancreas or the lungs). The purpose of using this data is to speed up the follow-up work needed to locate and confirm a cancer, by carrying out the appropriate tests.
To carry out this work, the Galleri blood test was offered to 6,621 adults aged 50 and over. These participants were followed for 12 months from enrollment and divided into two groups. Cohort A included people at high risk of cancer with a cancer history of more than 3 years before the study (having smoked more than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime, a genetic predisposition to cancer or an inherited syndrome). As for cohort B, it included other patients who did not meet these criteria.
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Study results
For 6,529 participants in this research, the blood test was negative. However, potential cancer was reported in 92 people. After further examinations, in the end, in 35 volunteers, solid tumors or blood cancer were confirmed. A total of 36 cancers were screened (19 solid tumors and 17 hematological cancers).
Note: one patient in the study had both endometrial cancer and breast cancer. Many other types of cancer have been detected such as the prostate, rectum, lungs, pancreas, uterus, intrahepatic bile ducts, bones, liver, ovaries and lymphomas.
“When blood tests were positive, checkups were usually completed within 3 months. I think it’s really a new concept. This shows that it is possible to detect cancers using blood tests.”, explained the lead author of the study at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Dr. Deb Schrag, at the 2022 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology.
Moreover, of the 35 people where cancer was detected, 24 were in the high risk group for cancer. The other 11 people were in the low-risk group. In short, among the cancers screened, 14 were stage I or II.
Many of the cancers that have been discovered do not have standard screening. This discovery makes it possible to enter a new era of cancer screening. However, according to Dr. Deb Schrag, it is still too early to implement this type of examination.
“This study was a prelude to a larger study. We had to see how doctors would approach the workup“, added the lead author of the study.
“It still suggests a glimpse of what the future may hold with a truly very different approach to cancer screening.“, concluded the scientist.