The idea that a simple blood test could detect early cancer in a healthy person has always seemed like a possibility that might one day benefit future generations. It’s not.
Last year, the California-based biotech firm Grail released a $950 test called Galleri that can identify trace signs of more than 50 types of cancers, including difficult-to-detect pancreatic and ovarian cancers, in the DNA of completely symptom-free people. One of the reasons there isn’t wider awareness of Galleri is that insurance companies do not yet cover such hyper-early diagnostic tools. Another holdup: Grail has been stuck in legal limbo for two years.
