Galleri Multi-Cancer Early Detection Test: Screening for 50+ Types of Cancer With One Blood Test
Cancer screening plays an important role in preventive healthcare and can help identify certain cancers before symptoms develop. For patients looking for cancer screening in Lake Worth, FL, Elite Healthcare Partners offers the Galleri® multi-cancer early detection test as an additional screening option.
While established screening tests are available for certain cancers, many types of cancer do not have recommended routine screening tests. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) notes that multi-cancer detection tests are being studied as a way to screen for several types of cancer at the same time, including cancers for which effective routine screening options are not currently available.
Galleri offers one approach to multi-cancer screening. With a simple blood draw, the test screens for a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer, including many cancers without recommended routine screening tests.
At Elite Healthcare Partners, Galleri testing gives eligible patients another tool to consider as part of a proactive, comprehensive approach to their health.
What Is the Galleri Multi-Cancer Early Detection Test?
Galleri is a prescription blood test designed to screen for multiple types of cancer at the same time.
Cancer cells can release fragments of DNA into the bloodstream. Galleri analyzes methylation patterns in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) for patterns associated with cancer. If a cancer signal is detected, the test also predicts the tissue type or organ where the signal is most likely coming from.
According to GRAIL, the developer of Galleri, the test screens for a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer.
Galleri is intended to complement—not replace—the cancer screenings your healthcare provider already recommends.
Why Multi-Cancer Screening Matters
Cancer screening is an important part of preventive care, but screening options are not available for every type of cancer.
The American Cancer Society maintains screening recommendations for cancers including breast, cervical, colorectal and lung cancer, as well as guidance regarding informed decision-making for prostate cancer screening.
Other cancers do not currently have established routine screening tests for people at average risk. The National Cancer Institute specifically notes cancers such as pancreatic, ovarian and brain cancer as examples for which screening tests are not currently available for the general population.
This is one reason researchers are studying multi-cancer detection tests. Rather than focusing on a single organ or cancer type, these blood tests look for biological signals that may indicate the presence of several different cancers.
Galleri does not diagnose cancer, nor can it detect every cancer. Instead, it provides another source of information that you and your healthcare provider can consider alongside your medical history, individual risk factors and recommended cancer screenings.
How Does the Galleri Test Work?
The Galleri test begins with a blood draw.
The sample is analyzed for methylation patterns in cell-free DNA circulating in the bloodstream. These patterns can help identify a potential cancer signal and, when one is detected, predict the most likely tissue or organ associated with that signal.
There are two possible results:
No Cancer Signal Detected
This means the test did not identify a cancer signal in the blood sample.
A No Cancer Signal Detected result does not guarantee that cancer is absent. Galleri does not detect all cancers, and false-negative results can occur.
Patients should continue routine cancer screenings and discuss new or concerning symptoms with their healthcare provider regardless of their Galleri result.
Cancer Signal Detected
This means Galleri identified a pattern in the blood associated with cancer.
When a cancer signal is detected, Galleri also provides a predicted Cancer Signal Origin, identifying the tissue type or organ most likely associated with the signal. This information can help a healthcare provider determine appropriate next steps.
A Cancer Signal Detected result is not a cancer diagnosis. Additional diagnostic testing using medically established procedures is necessary to determine whether cancer is actually present.
What Types of Cancer Can Galleri Screen For?
Galleri screens for a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer.
In Galleri clinical studies, cancers diagnosed following a Cancer Signal Detected result have included cancers involving the:
- Pancreas
- Liver and bile ducts
- Ovary
- Esophagus
- Stomach
- Kidney
- Bladder
- Head and neck
- Lung
- Colon and rectum
- Breast
- Cervix
- Prostate
- Blood and lymphatic system
And many others.
The ability to screen for signals associated with multiple cancers is particularly noteworthy because many of these cancers do not currently have recommended routine screening tests.
Who Should Consider Galleri Testing?
According to Galleri’s current safety information, the test is recommended for adults with an elevated risk of cancer, such as adults age 50 or older.
Age is only one consideration. Your healthcare provider can help evaluate your personal health history, family history, risk factors and current screening plan when determining whether Galleri may be appropriate for you.
Galleri is not recommended for individuals who are pregnant, age 21 or younger, or undergoing active cancer treatment.
Does Galleri Replace a Mammogram, Colonoscopy or Other Cancer Screening?
No.
Galleri should be used in addition to, not instead of, routine cancer screenings recommended by your healthcare provider.
The National Cancer Institute also advises that people continue standard-of-care cancer screening regardless of whether they undergo a multi-cancer detection test.
If you are due for a mammogram, colorectal cancer screening, cervical cancer screening, lung cancer screening or another test recommended by your healthcare provider, a Galleri result should not be used as a reason to skip it.
Different screening tests look for cancer in different ways, and Galleri cannot detect every cancer.
Think of multi-cancer detection as an additional screening tool, rather than a replacement for the preventive care you already receive.
What Happens if Galleri Detects a Cancer Signal?
A Cancer Signal Detected result requires additional evaluation.
Because Galleri predicts the likely origin of the cancer signal, your healthcare provider can use that information to help determine which diagnostic tests may be appropriate. Depending on the individual result, that could include imaging or other medically established diagnostic procedures.
False-positive and false-negative results can occur. A positive Galleri result does not necessarily mean you have cancer, just as a negative result cannot completely rule cancer out.
The National Cancer Institute similarly emphasizes that multi-cancer detection tests make a prediction about the possible presence of cancer rather than a diagnosis.
This is why Galleri results should always be interpreted by a healthcare provider in the context of your overall health.
Taking a More Proactive Approach to Cancer Screening
Preventive healthcare is about understanding your individual risks and using appropriate screening tools to help protect your health.
For people at elevated risk of cancer, including many adults age 50 and older, multi-cancer detection testing may provide an additional way to screen for cancer signals beyond the cancers addressed by established routine screening programs.
Research into multi-cancer detection testing is ongoing. The National Cancer Institute notes that no multi-cancer detection test has yet been authorized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and that additional research is needed to determine whether using these tests for screening reduces cancer deaths.
If you are interested in the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test, the team at Elite Healthcare Partners can discuss the test with you and help determine whether it may be appropriate based on your individual health history and risk factors.
Schedule Galleri Testing at Elite Healthcare Partners
To learn more or schedule your Galleri blood test, contact Elite Healthcare Partners by clicking the request an appointment link below.
Galleri is available by prescription only. Your healthcare provider can discuss the potential benefits, limitations and appropriate use of the test based on your individual health history.
Important Safety Information
The Galleri test does not detect all cancers. False-positive and false-negative results can occur. A No Cancer Signal Detected result does not rule out cancer, and a Cancer Signal Detected result requires confirmatory diagnostic evaluation. Galleri should be used in addition to routine cancer screening tests recommended by your healthcare provider.
The Galleri test was developed and its performance characteristics were determined by GRAIL. The test has not been cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Resources & References
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Cancer Screening Tests — Information about established cancer screening tests and multi-cancer detection testing.
National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Prevention
Questions and Answers About Multi-Cancer Detection Tests — Information about how MCD tests work, their current limitations, FDA authorization and the importance of continuing standard cancer screenings.
American Cancer Society
Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Guidelines — Current cancer screening guidance and recommendations.
Galleri / GRAIL
Galleri Test Performance — Information about the cancers Galleri screens for, Cancer Signal Origin and clinical test performance.
Galleri / GRAIL
Important Safety Information — Intended use, limitations, eligibility information and regulatory status of the Galleri test.
