Multi-Cancer Early Detection

Early cancer detection saves lives. When cancer is found early, nearly nine out of 10 patients live five years or longer. But not all cancers are targeted by current screening tests. The routine cancer screenings that are available today can detect only five cancer types—lung, breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate. But other cancers—such as liver, ovarian, and pancreatic—have no recommended routine screening options, and they are responsible for almost three-quarters of all cancer deaths.

If you add early testing capabilities to the ability to test for multiple cancers at the same time with a simple blood draw, you may be able to revolutionize cancer screening. Today, that possibility is becoming an increasingly likely scenario with multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests. MCED tests rely on circulating tumor cell-free DNA to identify signs of early cancer in the blood without biopsy. With a single blood draw, these tests can both detect and localize multiple cancers throughout the body—before symptoms occur.

ACCC has launched an education project that is exploring the current state of MCED tests to develop best practices that cancer programs can adopt to fully integrate these tests as they become available. Specifically, this project will:

• Promote better understanding of the potential roles of primary care providers, internal medicine professionals, and related support staff (care coordinators, nurse navigators, nurses, genetic counselors, social workers, health coaches, etc.) in MCED testing
• Identify optimal care coordination processes for MCED testing among primary care, internal medicine, and oncology care teams
• Suggest successful models for optimally integrating MCED testing into the diagnostic pathway
• Explore the factors that limit access to cancer screenings, follow up, and acting upon results for marginalized patient populations, highlighting successful community outreach programs for screening and prevention
• Provide foundational education to cancer care teams regarding MCED testing and working with primary care and other relevant providers in the community

For more information on this project, please contact the ACCC Provider Education department.

The Science and State of Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening

The potential of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests to work in tandem with currently available recommended cancer screenings has been hampered by a lack of FDA approval. Although some MCED tests may be ordered by providers under Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act (CLIA) regulations, the lack of federal approval has stymied their widespread use. Adding to the tests’ underutilization is a paucity of MCED education as revealed by the  Multi-Cancer Early Detection Provider Survey Result.

To raise awareness of these potentially game-changing diagnostic tools and build confidence for providers who might be unfamiliar with them, ACCC’s Multi-Cancer Early Detection education project focuses on increasing provider education and comfort with the technology. As MCED tests become more widely available, policy and research advocacy will make up another component of ACCC’s strategy to narrow the gap between existing guideline-recommended screenings and the majority of cancer deaths, many of which stem from malignancies that currently have no proven screening tests.

FEATURED RESOURCES

Exploring Current Perceptions of Multi-Cancer Early Detection Testing Among Healthcare Providers

Although multi-cancer early detection tests have the potential to revolutionize cancer screening, they are an emerging screening tool and testing has been limited in practice. In 2022, ACCC launched a comprehensive survey and a series of four focus groups to explore current perceptions, attitudes, and beliefs about multi-cancer early detection tests and how they can be best integrated into community programs and practices. Explore the results of this survey and learn about key considerations for implementation of this innovative screening tool. 
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Multi-Cancer Early Detection ACCC Survey Results

Multi-cancer early detection tests are not yet widely available but could be in the next few years. In combination with existing standard of care recommendations, these tests hold the potential to revolutionize cancer screening, in part by detecting cancers for which no routine screening exists.

Association of Community Cancer Centers (ACCC) conducted a survey among its members between June 2022 and August 2022 to explore current attitudes, beliefs, and concerns related to this testing and the capacity multi-cancer early detection testing into cancer programs or practices.
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