Over the years, health experts have been advising that early detection of cancer can save many lives. More often tests such as mammograms can diagnose only one type of cancer. However, now a private cancer-testing firm called Grail has launched a new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer. The new blood test is called Galleri. The officials of the company have said that they are going to start selling this blood test in the US soon. The achievement has made it the first company to hit the vast market for simple tests that can diagnose a wide range of cancer at an early stage.  The officials have shared the data of the clinical trial of the test with the drug regulators. Experts have said that the test has been able to detect around 29 types of cancer in the clinical trial. The clinical trial has enrolled more than 6500 people who have been in the age range of 50 years and above. The authors of the trial have said that test has delivered fewer false-positive reports and has been able to pinpoint the particular part of the body that is infected with cancer.  The senior director of the Medical Communications at Grail, Megan Hall has said that Galleri is a new age multi-cancer detection screening, that can save many lives and help experts to detect tumors at an early stage.

The senior director of the Medical Communications at Grail, Megan Hall has claimed that it is a single blood test that can identify signals from 50 diverse types of cancer. She has said that the rate of false-positive reports is less than one percent. The new blood test can detect the regions where cancer signals are coming from that is very useful for health care providers to reach a logical conclusion. Megan Hall has said that as cancer incidence is very low in the population as of now; therefore, most patients might get negative reports. However, being able to detect the origin area of cancer is invaluable if a patient gets a positive report, said the experts. Health experts have said that at present, this test can be taken for detecting breast cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, and high-risk lung cancer cases. The authors of the trial have claimed that the real issue is that there are large numbers of different types of cancer, which do not have any suggested screening yet. It includes some of the most aggressive forms of cancer such as pancreatic cancer, esophageal cancer, and ovarian cancer. These types of cancer are usually detected at an advanced stage when patients are symptomatic and outcomes are quite devastating.  Here, the new blood test Galleri offers a great opportunity to identify these deadly cancers at an early stage.

The authors of the trial have informed that the blood test has not been authorized by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). They have said that the new blood test can be included in the annual physical examination such as cholesterol test. The makers of the test have said that they are going to launch this test as a laboratory-developed test (LDT) so that they can send it to the market as soon as possible. Megan Hall has said that the company is in talks with the FDA and the Galleri test has already received Breakthrough Device designation from the authorities. The officials of the company are trying to get full-fledged approval for the new test to make it accessible for as many patients as possible. Experts have said that the test will require a prescription and it is advised for adults who are at higher risk of cancer. People who are 50 or above as well can avail the test. As of now, the company has priced this test at $949 but the actual cost of the test will be decided by the health care system or health care providers. The officials of the firm have said that patients might be able to use their health savings account to pay for the test.