Experts evaluated the effectiveness of a diagnostic test for early detection of cancer
The positive predictive value of the diagnostic test for early detection of multiple cancers based on methylation in symptomatic patients was 75.5% and the sensitivity was 66.3%. The test will help clinicians decide on the urgency of screening.Researchers at the University of Oxford have evaluated the effectiveness of a diagnostic test for early detection of multiple methylation-based cancers (MCED) in patients with non-specific symptoms. The study was published in The Lancet: Oncology.
The study included 5,461 people over 18 years of age with symptoms that could be indicative of cancer of various locations. All participants had blood tests for circulating tumor DNA between July and November 2021. The average age of the participants was 62. Cancer was diagnosed in 368 people based on the test.
A methylation-based multiple cancer early detection test revealed evidence of cancer in 323 cases. Of these, 244 people were diagnosed with cancer. The positive predictive value was 75.5% and the negative predictive value was 97.6%. The sensitivity of the study reached 66.3%, and the specificity was 98.4%.