In the coming years, cancer diagnosis may change dramatically thanks to multi-cancer early detection, or MCED, tests based on liquid biopsy technology. A blood test can detect up to 14 types of cancer without the need for surgery. Scientists at Exact Sciences presented a model showing that if such tests become widely used, the number of severe late-stage cancer diagnoses could drop by nearly half over a decade.
Unlike traditional biopsy, liquid biopsy is less invasive and makes it possible to monitor a tumor over time. The technology is already partly in use: five tests for different cancers have been approved in the United States, but multi-cancer tests have not yet been officially recognized. In the United Kingdom, their effectiveness is being tested in a study of 140,000 participants, PATHFINDER 2.
Among the challenges are a high rate of false positives and the need for follow-up confirmation with a traditional biopsy. Even so, doctors believe that with improved accuracy, MCED could become an important tool for early diagnosis, and eventually turn the fight against cancer into a more controllable process.
