Key Takeaways

What if a blood test could detect the earliest traces of cancer in your body before you display any signs or symptoms?

Soon, the National Cancer Institute will give these blood tests a thorough evaluation, paving the way to wider accessibility if proven effective.

Last month, President Biden highlighted this initiative, called theVanguard Trial, as a crucial piece of his administration’sCancer Moonshot Initiative.

What Is the Cancer Moonshot Initiative?Former President Barack Obama tasked then-Vice President Biden with theCancer Moonshot Initiativeduring hisfinal State of the Union Addressin 2016. His goal was to reimagine the way patients and physicians approach cancer. After losing his son Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015, Joe Biden’s desire to reduce cancer deaths was more than a public health imperative. It became a personal mission that continued through his presidency, and Biden got to work right away.The Cancer Moonshot Initiative provides funding to advance biomedical innovation in cancer research, decrease screening gaps, and engage healthcare providers in patient education.

What Is the Cancer Moonshot Initiative?

Former President Barack Obama tasked then-Vice President Biden with theCancer Moonshot Initiativeduring hisfinal State of the Union Addressin 2016. His goal was to reimagine the way patients and physicians approach cancer. After losing his son Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015, Joe Biden’s desire to reduce cancer deaths was more than a public health imperative. It became a personal mission that continued through his presidency, and Biden got to work right away.The Cancer Moonshot Initiative provides funding to advance biomedical innovation in cancer research, decrease screening gaps, and engage healthcare providers in patient education.

Former President Barack Obama tasked then-Vice President Biden with theCancer Moonshot Initiativeduring hisfinal State of the Union Addressin 2016. His goal was to reimagine the way patients and physicians approach cancer. After losing his son Beau Biden to brain cancer in 2015, Joe Biden’s desire to reduce cancer deaths was more than a public health imperative. It became a personal mission that continued through his presidency, and Biden got to work right away.

The Cancer Moonshot Initiative provides funding to advance biomedical innovation in cancer research, decrease screening gaps, and engage healthcare providers in patient education.

Beginning in 2024, the Vanguard Trial will follow 24,000 participants over four years. Researchers are seeking to learn about any potential benefits and harms of MCED tests, the impact of early detection from MCED tests on cancer survival and death rates, and the most prudent course of action to take following a positive MCED test.

If the Vanguard Trial shows that MCED tests are beneficial at detecting cancer in its earliest stages, then a 225,000-participant, randomized control trial will follow.

What Are MCED Tests?

Right now, screening tests exist for only five types of cancer:

MCED tests are minimally-invasive blood tests which aim to discover cancer types that other screening tools cannot, leading to earlier diagnosis and treatment.These cancer types may includebladder, pancreatic, uterine, and kidney cancers, to name a few.

Potential Benefits of MCED Tests

“Carcinogenesis (cancer formation) is a process that takes time. If we have a better understanding of its timeline, then maybe we can think of interventions to prevent cancer from progressing,”Ana Maria Lopez, MPH, MD, professor and interim chair of medical oncology at Sidney Kimmel Medical College, told Verywell.

She added that simple lifestyle changes such as reducing fat in the diet, alleviating stress, increasing physical activity, and improving sleep could halt or even reverse the premalignant process.

Lopez said that research into MCED tests would inform their future use.

Possible Drawbacks to MCED Tests

The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute warn that large-scale MCED testing could lead to unnecessary medical procedures due to false-positive results. And on the flip side, a negative MCED test might prompt some people to skip out on lifesaving routine medical exams and cancer screenings.

To Make an Impact, MCED Tests Need To Be More Accessible

There are no guidelines at present for who should receive an MCED and when, and typically, people interested in the test must advocate for themselves to a physician. It’s not a home-based test; blood draws must happen at a partner lab facility.

“Considering the enormous impact of cancer on society, and the large unmet medical need for unscreened cancers particularly, there is immense excitement in the oncology field for new tests like MCEDs,”Jeffrey Venstrom, MD, chief medical officer at GRAIL, told Verywell via a written statement. “Individuals with elevated cancer risk are best suited for this test, and we currently think that adults aged 50 is the right time to start. For the majority of individuals, annual testing is likely sufficient, although we are studying other ways to administer the test.”

Cancer advocacy organizations like thePrevent Cancer Foundationwant greater access to early cancer screenings for all individuals, especially older adults and Medicare beneficiaries, who are at increased risk for developing cancer. They hope that future FDA endorsement will increase the accessibility of these tests to those who will benefit from them the most.

“Having coverage for these tests for Medicare beneficiaries helps address health disparities,”Jody Hoyos, MHA, president and COO of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, told Verywell. “Paying out of pocket creates a significant barrier. It’s critically important to us that once the FDA approves MCED tests, everyone who needs a test has access to them.”

Some individuals in underserved communities may have more difficulty getting routine cancer screenings, Hoyos told Verywell. Cancer disparities occur because of various factors, including systemic racism, lack of trust in the healthcare system, lower screening uptake, and challenges around access to high-quality cancer care.

Health Divide

Less invasive and more easily accessible cancer detection tests will reduce health disparities.

“Early detection saves lives, and the benefits of early cancer detection are not reaching enough people,” Hoyos said.

What This Means For YouMulti-cancer early detection tests may help to reduce cancer deaths in the future. Until then, everyone should continue to see their healthcare provider for routine cancer screenings.

What This Means For You

Multi-cancer early detection tests may help to reduce cancer deaths in the future. Until then, everyone should continue to see their healthcare provider for routine cancer screenings.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Cervical cancer screening.National Cancer Institute.Colorectal cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Lung cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Questions and answers - cancer screening with multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests.American Cancer Society.Multi-cancer early detection tests.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Cervical cancer screening.National Cancer Institute.Colorectal cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Lung cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Questions and answers - cancer screening with multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests.American Cancer Society.Multi-cancer early detection tests.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Cervical cancer screening.National Cancer Institute.Colorectal cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Lung cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.National Cancer Institute.Questions and answers - cancer screening with multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests.American Cancer Society.Multi-cancer early detection tests.

National Cancer Institute.Breast cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.

National Cancer Institute.Cervical cancer screening.

National Cancer Institute.Colorectal cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.

National Cancer Institute.Lung cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.

National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer screening (PDQ)–patient version.

National Cancer Institute.Questions and answers - cancer screening with multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests.

American Cancer Society.Multi-cancer early detection tests.

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