Health

Study: Blood Test Detects Cancer 3 Years Before Diagnosis

JUN 18 2025·Updated JUN 19 2025

Story

Above: Test tubes containing blood samples during a blood donation drive in Nagaon District, Assam, India, on June 14, 2025. Image credit: Anuwar Hazarika/NurPhoto/Getty Images

The Facts

Johns Hopkins University researchers have developed a blood test that can detect genetic material shed by tumors in the bloodstream up to three years before clinical cancer diagnosis, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery and partly funded by the National Institutes of Health.
FOX News
ScienceDaily
The multicancer early detection (MCED) test analyzed blood samples from 52 participants, identifying cancer markers in eight individuals who were all diagnosed within four months of blood collection.
Independent
ScienceAlert
Researchers found tumor-derived mutations in blood samples from four participants taken 3.1 to 3.5 years prior to their cancer diagnosis, with genetic material present at levels 8.6 to 79 times lower than those detected closer to diagnosis.
ZME Science
Aacrjournals
The test works by detecting circulating tumor DNA fragments that cancers release into the bloodstream, using ultra-sensitive sequencing techniques to identify these genetic signatures among billions of normal DNA fragments.
New York Post
Health And Me
Lead researcher Dr. Yuxuan Wang stated that detecting cancer three years earlier provides crucial additional time for intervention when tumors are less advanced and more likely to be curable, potentially leading to more favorable treatment outcomes.
FOX News
Futurism
Five of the eight participants whose cancers were detected by the test ultimately died from the disease, highlighting the deadly nature of cancer even when caught relatively early, while no MCED tests are currently fully FDA-approved for widespread use.
New York Post
Health And Me

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The Spin

Narrative A

This breakthrough represents a revolutionary advance in cancer detection that could save countless lives. Early detection is the holy grail of cancer treatment — catching tumors when they're small and haven't spread dramatically improves survival rates. The technology offers hope for detecting silent killers like pancreatic and colon cancer years before symptoms appear.

New York Post

ScienceAlert

Narrative B

While promising, this research raises serious concerns about premature implementation and potential harm. The study involved only 52 participants, making it far too small to draw definitive conclusions about effectiveness. Rolling out unproven screening tests to healthy populations could lead to unnecessary anxiety, overtreatment, and false positives without proven benefits.