Counseling Patients on False Positives in cfDNA Blood-Based Colorectal Cancer Screening

Blood-based cancer screening tests, such as the newly approved Shield cell-free DNA blood-based test, offer a noninvasive alternative to traditional methods, such as colonoscopies and stool-based tests. However, concerns about false positive results remain. In the video above, William Grady, MD, discusses the accuracy of Shield and other blood-based screening tests and the importance of follow-up colonoscopies. Dr Grady, a professor in the public health sciences division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington, also touches on the potential for improving test sensitivity and the development of new blood-based tests to watch out for.

Dr Grady is the corresponding author of the Evaluation of the ctDNA LUNAR Test in an Average Patient Screening Episode (ECLIPSE) clinical trial assessing the Shield cfDNA blood-based test. Dr Grady is also the Rodger C. Haggitt professor in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.