Toufic Kachaamy, Leader of Endoscopic Oncology at Mayo Clinic Florida, shared on LinkedIn:
“Can a blood test help us find more GI cancers earlier and how should it fit into cancer prevention?
Thank you to Dr. Gregory Idos for a thoughtful presentation on integrating multicancer early detection (MCED) testing into GI cancer care at Advances and Innovations in Endoscopic Oncology and Multidisciplinary Gastrointestinal Cancer Care.
Several messages stood out:
- Small lesions may be visible endoscopically before they produce a detectable blood signal.
- Detecting cancer and detecting precancerous lesions are different capabilities. Removing precancerous polyps remains a powerful opportunity for prevention.
- A negative MCED result does not rule out cancer or replace recommended screening.
- Earlier detection must translate into meaningful patient benefit, with attention to false positives, downstream procedures, cost, and access.
The potential is exciting, particularly for cancers without established screening programs. Integrating that potential into practice requires clear diagnostic pathways, thoughtful patient selection, and prospective outcomes tracking.
For endoscopic oncology, the opportunity is to connect emerging blood tests with prevention, timely diagnosis, and multidisciplinary treatment.”
Other articles featuring Toufic Kachaamy on OncoDaily.