While not a perfect alternative to colonoscopies or fecal tests, experts hope the test could lead to more people getting screened for colorectal cancers.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved a new screening test for colorectal cancer. It requires only a sample of blood and can find cancers when they are early stage and usually curable.
For many people, a routine blood test is easier to get than a colonoscopy or a fecal sample test. But the blood test, made by Guardant Health of Palo Alto, Calif., comes with a limitation. Unlike other screening tests for colon and rectal cancers, it has a poor record of finding precancerous growths. Removal of those growths can prevent cancer.
The test, named Shield, will be available within a week. Guardant will announce its list price at that time, said Matt Burns, a company spokesman. It is approved for people aged 45 and over who are at average risk for colon cancer.
The hope is that the blood test, despite its limitation, can encourage more people to be screened for colorectal cancer, the second-most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. As many as 53,000 Americans are expected to die from colorectal cancer this year.
Regular screening can prevent as many as 73 percent of those deaths. But although current guidelines recommend screenings starting at age 45, as many as 25 to 50 percent of people who should be getting screened are not.
The problem is convincing more people to be screened. That is where the new test comes in. It is simple for patients — the blood sample can be obtained at a doctor’s office as part of a routine physical exam, or at a commercial lab.