{
  "id": 19522892,
  "title": "This new blood test claims to detect over 50 cancers before onset of symptoms",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/this-new-blood-test-claims-to-detect-over-50-cancers-before-onset-of",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-11T16:30:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Fast Company",
    "slug": "fast-company",
    "url": "https://www.fastcompany.com/91638697/new-blood-test-claims-detect-over-50-cancers-before-onset-symptoms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Cancer is not the leading cause of death in the United States, but it remains a significant concern for many Americans. A new blood test, Galleri, claims to detect over 50 cancers before symptoms arise, potentially revolutionizing early detection. However, a closer examination of the evidence reveals that the Galleri test may not be the universal screening breakthrough hoped for. As a physician and chair of the American Cancer Society’s screening guideline development group, the author has closely monitored the test’s development. While promising, clinical trial data indicates that the Galleri test struggles with early-stage cancer detection and has not yet been proven to lower cancer-related mortality or prevent advanced cancer. Across all cancer stages, the test missed over two-thirds of cancer cases. The test’s advisory panel recommended removing the term \"early\" from its label, as it cannot reliably detect cancers at their earliest, most curable stages. Despite these limitations, the Galleri test has several strengths. It screens for DNA fragments associated with over 50 cancers, including those that account for nearly two-thirds of cancer deaths in the U.S., and provides information on the likely organ of origin. The test boasts an exceptionally low false positive rate of about 0.5%, meaning only one person out of every 200 tests is incorrectly identified as having cancer. This low false positive rate also results in a high positive predictive value of 52%, indicating that over half of positive results actually lead to a cancer diagnosis. Furthermore, the test can accurately predict the cancer type in 91% of cases, aiding clinicians in selecting more targeted evaluations. Despite its strengths, the Galleri test falls short in detecting cancers in their earliest stages, a crucial aspect of cancer screening. As the FDA weighs the test's approval, careful scrutiny of the data is essential for doctors and patients to make informed decisions about its use.",
  "summary": "Cancer isn’t the leading cause of death in the United States ; heart disease ranks first in that regard. But it’s cancer that strikes fear into the hearts of many Americans. Cancer can take an excruciating toll on its millions of victims and their family members. Cancer treatments are often highly toxic, and the disease is increasingly striking people at younger ages , which is why it accounts…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}