FDA approves first blood test to screen for colon cancer

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved a brand new blood test to detect colorectal cancer (CRC).

The shield is a test made by Guardant Health in California. It is the first approved blood test to function a primary screening option for the disease. The company also said the test meets requirements for Medicare coverage.

The FDA approval got here after a clinical trial of 20,000 average-risk adults. The study found that Shield had an 83% sensitivity to detection colon cancerThe research results were published in in March.

Dr. Robert Smith, senior vp of early cancer detection on the American Cancer Society, says Shield is currently the one blood test available for CRC screening.

“It compares favorably with other colon cancer screening tests,” akin to colonoscopy, CT colonography and stool testing, Smith said. Fox News Digital.

“This provides an opportunity to detect colorectal cancer in someone who is not following screening recommendations, does not have symptoms and is willing to undergo this test due to preference, convenience, or both,” he added.

Smith says the major advantage of this test is that it could possibly be taken during a routine visit to the doctor; patients is not going to need to take break day work or undergo sedation in the course of the examination.

The test does have some drawbacks. Smith said the Shield test can’t detect polyps, which could be a precursor to CRC. If polyps are detected during a colonoscopy, they’re removed and examined for signs of cancer.

According to National Round Table on Colorectal Cancer, multiple third of adults aged 50 to 75 don’t getting the really helpful colon cancer screening test.

Dr. Daniel Chung, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and professor of drugs at Harvard Medical School, believes the Shield blood test may encourage more people to undergo really helpful screening tests.

“The continued gap in colon cancer screening rates shows that the screening options currently available are not appealing to millions of people,” Chung said. he said in a Guardant press release.

“The FDA’s approval of the Shield blood test is a huge step forward, offering a compelling new solution to close this gap. This decision will help make screening tests more widely available. With increased screening and early detection of cancer, many more lives can be saved,” Chung said.

For more information on the shield test, visit the Guardian website.