Results of a Combined Modality Screening Approach in Women Without Cancer History

Nickolas Papadopoulos, PhD, professor of oncology and pathology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, discusses the results of a study which evaluated a combined modality screening approach in women without a history of cancer.

In the trial, investigators evaluated the benefit of using the DETECT-A blood test combined with standard-of-care screening in 10,006 women without a history of cancer. Individuals with positive DETECT-A blood test results also underwent PET-CT to identify the potential cancer.

The results demonstrated that the combined modality approach doubled the number of cancers that were detected with screening. The blood test identified 10 different cancer types, including 7 for which there is currently no screening test available. Moreover, the blood test had positive predictive value that superseded current noninvasive screening tests for individual cancers. Of the cancers that were identified with the blood test, 65% were localized or regional, suggesting that the combined modality approach could lead to more curative intent interventions.

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