ROCHESTER — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a blood test that screens for colorectal cancer, adding to the array of screening options available.
A Mayo Clinic doctor was part of the research team that studied its efficacy. "It measures tumor DNA that's released into the bloodstream from the cancer," said Dr. Frank Sinicrope, a Rochester-based gastroenterologist and oncologist.
Sinicrope is an advisor to Guardant Health, the California-based company that produces the new Shield blood test. This year, the clinical trial that Sinicrope helped design and conduct found that the Shield blood test detected colorectal cancer at a similar accuracy as the fecal immunochemical test, or FIT test. "This adds to the existing screening options for colorectal cancer," Sinicrope said of the blood test.
"It is now FDA approved, which means that Medicare and private insurance are as likely to cover the cost of it." A person can have their blood drawn for the Shield test during a visit with their primary care provider. ADVERTISEMENT While colonoscopy remains the gold standard for colorectal cancer screening and prevention — by removing polyps during the prodecure — Sinicrope said the blood test option could encourage more patients to get screened.
For adults at average risk, U.S. guidelines say to start screening at age 45.
"Only about 59% of the population are ...
adhering to current screening guidelines, so we really need to increase the number of patients screened," Sinicrope said. Guardant Health has not yet set a list price for the Shield test, Sinicrope said, and how often the test must be repeated is still to be determined, though Sinicrope said an interval of every three years is likely. The technology behind the Shield blood test could, in the future, be used to screen for other types of cancers, Sinicrope said.
"That is an area of interest and ongoing investigation by Guardant Health in collaboration with various investigators around the country," Sinicrope said. "There is an attempt to try to see if this can be applied to other cancers.".
