Colorectal Cancer Screening: Considerations for Using Cell-Free DNA Blood Tests in Older Adults

A new FDA-approved cell-free DNA blood-based colorectal cancer (CRC) screening test, Shield (Guardant Health), was recently evaluated in the ctDNA LUNAR Test in an Average Patient Screening Episode (ECLIPSE) clinical trial. In the study, researchers evaluated the performance of the Shield cfDNA blood test against findings on colonoscopy among almost 8000 individuals aged 45 to 80 years at average risk for colon cancer and undergoing routine screening with colonoscopy. According to the results, the specificity of Shield was inversely correlated with age. Primary care physicians play a crucial role in CRC screening. What considerations should they consider when recommending cfDNA blood-based tests to older adults? William Grady, MD, corresponding author of the ECLIPSE study, discusses in the video above.

Dr Grady is a professor in the public health sciences division at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr Grady is also the Rodger C. Haggitt professor in the division of gastroenterology at the University of Washington School of Medicine.