Guardant Health Announces Shield Multi-Cancer Detection Test Selected for National Cancer Institute's Vanguard Study; Pilot Study to Enroll 24K Participants and Inform Future Research on MCD Tests for Cancer Screening

Benzinga · 01/07 13:22
  • Guardant Health Shield multi-cancer detection test selected on basis of strong performance in predicting presence of cancers and cancer tissue of origin
  • Pilot study by National Cancer Institute's Cancer Screening Research Network will inform design of future research evaluating use of multi-cancer detection blood tests to screen for cancer

Guardant Health, Inc. (NASDAQ:GH), a leading precision oncology company, today announced the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has selected the company's Shield™ multi-cancer detection (MCD) test for use in its Vanguard study, which will address the feasibility of using MCD tests in future clinical trials related to cancer screening. MCD tests are blood tests that can screen for several types of cancers simultaneously.

In February 2024, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the Cancer Screening Research Network (CSRN), which is funded by the NCI, part of NIH, to evaluate emerging cancer screening technologies, including MCD tests. The network will support research to investigate how to identify and diagnose cancers earlier, when they may be easier to treat.

As an initial effort, CSRN is launching the Vanguard Study, a four-year pilot study that will enroll up to 24,000 people to inform the design of a much larger randomized controlled trial evaluating the use of MCD tests for cancer screening. In its studies, the network aims to reach diverse populations, including underserved populations, that are receiving routine care in a variety of health care settings.