NewDelhi June 26 : A simple blood test named ‘Galleri’ that can detect more than 50 different types of cancer before they show any clinical signs or symptoms is accurate enough to be used as a multi-cancer screening test, according to scientists.
The company that developed and funded the research, GRAIL, Inc. (California, USA), has recently made the multi-cancer early detection test available in the United States by prescription only, to supplement other, current screening procedures for breast, cervical, prostate, lung, and bowel cancers.
An earlier version of Galleri was shown in clinical testing to be capable of detecting more than 50 forms of cancer with a single blood draw, 45 of which do not have recommended screening.
In total, more than 134,000 individuals have participated in GRAIL’s blood test clinical trials. The examination also reveals the location of cancer.
“When a cancer signal is detected in these trials, the test also pinpoints where the cancer is located in the body with high accuracy,” Dr Joshua Ofman, chief medical officer and head of external affairs at GRAIL, told Healthline. “This helps healthcare providers to determine next steps for diagnosis and care.”
Many of the cancers that the test can detect don’t really have screening tests, including liver, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, which are among the most lethal and where early detection could save lives.