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"Cancer-detection blood tests gain ground," an article in the Oct. 8-9 edition of the Wall Street Journal, no doubt caught the eye of many, if not most, readers -- and not only older ones.
If the news proves accurate, the time might come eventually when the tests in question might become as common as such screening tools as colonoscopies for colorectal cancer and mammograms for breast cancer.
However, that time might be years in the future, although perhaps not very many.
What is concerning on the surface but perhaps not as much of a potential problem as many people might envision, if the situation is handled properly, is the competition ramping up over the tests, as well as regulatory fights in the U.S. and Europe, of which the tests are at the heart.
A lot of money is at stake. The company or companies that produce the most accurate tests seem destined to achieve a behemoth financial bottom line.
Meanwhile, it is reasonable to wonder whether research dealing with the tests in question, also known as liquid biopsies, will open windows to early tests tied to other serious illnesses or physical conditions.
Regardless, the tests on which the Journal article focused represent hopeful news.
"Blood tests designed to detect cancer at early stages are reaching tens of thousands of people, as developers vie for a piece of what they expect to be a lucrative new market in heathcare," the Journal article begins, then continues:
"Illumina Inc.'s Grail unit said more than 38,000 people have used its $949 blood test since it went on sale in the U.S. in June 2021, with many of them paying out of pocket because their insurance doesn't cover it. The tests have helped clinicians diagnose some 100 patients with a range of cancers, most of which don't have a recommended screening test, according to company data."
That DNA and other biological markers of tumors circulate in the blood is not a surprising new finding. Researchers have known that for a long time.
That is why doctors already have begun using blood-based tests in caring for some patients already diagnosed as having cancer.
But early detection improves the prospects for better outcomes.
For many people, the possibilities of false positives or false negatives will be secondary to what the tests might reveal, including rendering peace of mind in many cases.
According to the Journal, the National Cancer Institute plans to begin enrolling about 24,000 people in 2024 for an initial study of the tests, then move on to a larger trial involving as many as 225,000 people.
Rivals of Illumina's Grail unit, including Freenome Holdings Inc., Exact Sciences Corp. and Guardant Health Inc., have begun studies of similar tests, hoping to enroll tens of thousands of people, the Journal reported, continuing "the companies … hope to generate sufficient evidence of their accuracy and utility to secure approval from the Food and Drug Administration."
The regulatory fights in this country and Europe, based on concerns about competition in the field, while presumably positive in overall intent might be viewed as something much less by people with cancer fears.
Great inroads have been made in cancer detection and treatment over the past half-century. Time will tell whether liquid biopsies will in fact be the next major cancer-fighting weapon.