FDA Approves First Blood Test For Colon Cancer Screening

A sign for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is displayed outside their offices in Silver Spring, Md., Dec. 10, 2020. U.S. health regulators on Monday, July 29, 2024, approved a first-of-it

U.S. health regulators have given the green light to a groundbreaking blood test for colon cancer, marking a significant advancement in the detection of this prevalent cause of cancer-related deaths. The FDA has granted approval to the Shield test developed by Guardant, making it the first of its kind for screening adults aged 45 and above with an average risk of colon cancer.

While the Shield test does not replace the necessity of colonoscopies, it offers a noninvasive alternative for screening purposes. This innovative test, which can be ordered by doctors as a laboratory test for $895, detects DNA fragments released by tumor cells and precancerous growths.