Blood test helped detect cancer before symptoms, study finds

[mountaineer]

Blood test helped detect cancer before symptoms, study finds
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE
April 28, 2020
Associated Press

For the first time, a blood test has been shown to help detect many types of cancer in a study of thousands of people with no history or symptoms of the disease.

The test is still experimental. Even its fans say it needs to be improved and that Tuesday’s results are not ideal. Yet they show what benefits and drawbacks might come from using these gene-based tests, called liquid biopsies, in routine care -- in this case, with PET scans to confirm or rule out suspected tumors. ...

But the test also missed many more cancers than it found and raised some false alarms that led to unnecessary followup procedures. It was only studied in women 65 to 75 years old and needs to be tried in men, other ages and more diverse groups. ...

Full story