Detecting Cancer – with a Blood Test
Join a clinical trial to help in the fight against cancer.
None of us want to be diagnosed with cancer. But what if you could find out you have it and that it is in an early stage, when it can be stopped?
MemorialCare Cancer Institute Center is participating in a widespread national clinical trial to learn if the Galleri Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) screening test, which has not yet been approved by the Food and
Drug Administration, is safe and effective in detecting cancer. This study adds to the wealth of data generated by GRAIL (Galleri’s manufacturer), which has demonstrated the ability of Galleri to detect over 50 cancers, as early as stage I.
People who are age 50 and older and have not had a cancer diagnosis within the last three years may be eligible to participate. The Galleri® Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) screening test can also be purchased with a doctor’s prescription.
“The challenge is that the screening test costs $950, and isn’t covered by insurance,” said Gretchen Stipec, M.D., the radiologist leading the study at MemorialCare. “A lot of people can’t afford to buy the test. Those who join our clinical study can have the test at no charge.”
The Galleri test comes from GRAIL, a subsidiary of Illumina, a leader in DNA sequencing. The name of the current study is PATHFINDER 2. The Galleri test is not intended to be a substitute for routine cancer screenings.
Dr. Stipec said people interested in participating can contact the study team for more information. If eligible to participate, the research team arranges an appointment to take a blood draw. The laboratories involved in the study will test the blood for abnormal DNA. It will tell the physicians whether a cancer was detected, as well as where that cancer is located, to inform the next diagnostic steps.
“For a positive result on the test, we will do follow-up tests — including a whole-body PET scan if needed with no cost to the participant — and plan for treatment,” Dr. Stipec said. “If the MCED screening is correct, we can treat the cancer in its earliest stages.”
Those receiving a negative result, indicating there is no sign of the disease in the blood, will be monitored for three years. Using follow-up phone calls and/or online portal check-ins, we will be able to track whether or not the person who tested negative develops cancer after the clinical trial.
“We do a lot of screenings for cancer,” Dr. Stipec said. “Mammograms, pap smears, colonoscopies and PSA tests are all cancer screenings. If we find cancer and can treat it early, the patient can avoid a lot of discomfort, and go on to have a great life.
“But there are a lot of cancers, like aggressive pancreatic and ovarian cancer, that we haven’t had screenings for, which makes the Galleri test a very exciting development,” Dr. Stipec added.
Earlier studies have found that the Galleri test (MCED) is better at detecting some cancers than others. “This test has more success detecting the most life-threatening cancers, including liver, bile duct, colon, ovarian and cervical,” Dr. Stipec explained.
How accurate is it? “More data is needed before it will become part of standard cancer screenings,” she said.
“We want everyone to participate in this study,” Dr. Stipec emphasized. “The greater diversity among participants, the more complete the results will be. That gives the medical community a chance to do better in the fight against cancer for everyone.”