Exact Sciences Corp. on Wednesday announced the launch of the Cancerguard test, a new multi-cancer early detection blood test that is now available as a laboratory-developed test in the United States.
Cancerguard is the first MCED test commercially available that analyzes multiple biomarker classes to help detect a wide range of cancers, including those that often go undiagnosed until later stages when treatment options are limited.
With a blood draw, the Cancerguard test can detect signals from cancer types responsible for more than 80% of annual U.S. cancer diagnoses, including some with the highest mortality rates, such as pancreatic, ovarian, liver, esophageal, lung and stomach cancers.
Overall, the Cancerguard test can detect more than 50 cancer types and subtypes.
The Cancerguard test delivered 68% sensitivity across six of the deadliest cancers and 64% overall sensitivity across a broader range of cancers, excluding breast and prostate, in test-development studies.
It also found more than a third of stage I or II cancers, and the test achieved high specificity of 97.4%, helping to minimize false positives and avoid unnecessary procedures.
Modeling shows that over a 10-year period, use of Exact Sciences’ MCED technology alongside current screening methods could reduce stage IV cancer diagnoses by 42% and lower overall cancer-related mortality by 18%.
The Cancerguard test will be delivered through Exact Sciences’ commercial and operational infrastructure.
To support patient access, Exact Sciences has entered into an agreement with Quest Diagnostics to enable blood collection at the company’s approximately 7,000 patient access sites across the U.S., including through its patient service centers and in-office phlebotomists in provider offices, as well as mobile phlebotomy services for at-home collections.
