At Elite Healthcare Partners, we believe preventive care should go beyond treating health concerns after they appear. We help patients understand their individual risks, stay current with recommended screenings, and explore tools that may provide a more complete picture of their health.
Cancer screening is an important part of that approach. Most people know about mammograms, colonoscopies, Pap tests, and lung cancer screening. These tests can help detect certain cancers before symptoms develop. However, many types of cancer still do not have recommended routine screening tests.
Understanding why there are still cancers without routine screening options can help patients make more informed decisions about their preventive care. Newer technologies may also help address some of these screening gaps.
Which Cancers Have Routine Screening Tests?
The American Cancer Society (ACS) provides routine screening recommendations for several cancers. These include breast, cervical, colorectal, and lung cancer for eligible individuals. The ACS also provides guidance for making informed decisions about prostate cancer screening.
Recommendations vary based on factors such as age, sex, smoking history, family history, and individual risk.
However, many other cancers do not have an established screening test for people at average risk who have no symptoms.
Which Cancers Don’t Have Routine Screening Tests?
According to the National Cancer Institute (NCI), effective screening tests are not currently available for many types of cancer.
Examples include:
- Pancreatic cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Liver cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Brain cancer
Healthcare providers may recommend additional testing or surveillance for people with certain risk factors. For example, family history or genetic conditions may increase someone’s risk for a particular cancer.
However, this type of individualized testing differs from routine screening for the general population. As a result, staying current with recommended screenings is important, but those screenings cannot look for every type of cancer.
Why Don’t We Screen for Every Type of Cancer?
Creating an effective cancer screening test is more complicated than simply finding signs of cancer.
Healthcare providers generally use screening tests for people who do not have symptoms. Therefore, researchers must determine whether a test can reliably identify cancer and whether its benefits outweigh its potential harms.
For example, too many false-positive results could lead to unnecessary imaging, biopsies, or other procedures. Researchers also need evidence that a screening test provides a meaningful benefit to the people who receive it.
In addition, some cancers create unique challenges. They may not cause noticeable symptoms in their earlier stages or may develop in areas of the body that are difficult to routinely evaluate.
Could Multi-Cancer Blood Tests Help Address the Screening Gap?
Researchers are studying multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests as another approach to cancer screening.
Instead of looking for one specific type of cancer, MCED tests analyze biological signals in the blood that may be associated with multiple cancers. The NCI notes that these tests have the potential to expand screening to cancers that currently lack recommended routine screening tests.
The Galleri® multi-cancer early detection test is one example. With a simple blood draw, Galleri screens for a signal shared by more than 50 types of cancer, including many cancers without routine screening options.
However, Galleri does not diagnose cancer or replace mammograms, colonoscopies, or other recommended screenings. If Galleri detects a cancer signal, a patient will need additional diagnostic testing.
Expanding the Conversation About Cancer Screening
Cancer screening continues to evolve. Established screening tests remain an important part of preventive care. At the same time, researchers continue to study newer technologies that may broaden the number of cancers we can screen for before symptoms appear.
The first step is understanding which screenings are appropriate for you. Your age, health history, family history, and other risk factors can all influence those recommendations.
For adults with an elevated risk of cancer, multi-cancer early detection testing may provide another option to discuss with a healthcare provider.
Learn More About Cancer Screening in Lake Worth, FL
Elite Healthcare Partners offers the Galleri multi-cancer early detection test for eligible patients.
Read our Galleri Multi-Cancer Early Detection Test: Screening for 50+ Types of Cancer With One Blood Test guide to learn how Galleri works, what its results mean, its limitations and who may be an appropriate candidate.
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 and Questions and Answers About Multi-Cancer Detection Tests
American Cancer Society
Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Guidelines
Galleri / GRAIL
Galleri Test Performance and Important Safety Information
