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Mercy hospitals are now offering a new blood test that can detect markers for over 50 types of cancer – including several that cannot otherwise be screened – to detect the disease in its early stages.
Nancy Dixon knew as soon as she heard about the test that she wanted to sign up.
Dixon, who works in media relations at Mercy and lives in Oklahoma City, lost her father to pancreatic cancer when she was 16. He was only 51 years old.
“I’m older than he was when he died,” she said. “So that’s always been in the back of my mind.”
Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect early. It’s not one of the types of cancer that people are routinely screened for, and it’s typically diagnosed at stage IV, which can leave patients with few treatment options.
The new blood test, called Galleri, is a multi-cancer screening test developed by healthcare company GRAIL. Although Galleri is not fully approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA gave it a Breakthrough Device designation in 2019, allowing GRAIL’s blood test to be offered to the public while more data is collected.
The test is intended to supplement regular cancer screening tests such as breast, colon, cervical, lung and prostate cancer – not replace it.
“This innovative test has demonstrated the ability to screen for hard-to-detect, aggressive, and often fatal cancers such as pancreatic, ovarian, and esophageal cancer that often have no warning signs and are caught too late,” says Dr. Jay Carlson, clinical chairman of Mercy Research, said in a statement.
Dixon was one of the first to arrange the blood test through Mercy. As someone who’s always tried to be proactive about taking care of his health, it was a no-brainer for Dixon.
She expects her results back this week and hopes they bring peace of mind.
“If my father could have detected his cancer earlier and something could have been done, maybe he would be here today,” she said.
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For whom is that?
The test is currently being offered to people aged 50 and older, or some people under 50 with a family history of cancer or other risk factors.
The test costs $949 and is not covered by insurance, so patients have to pay for it out of pocket. Mercy has said it will work with people who cannot afford the full cost of the test.
How does it work?
A patient comes in for a simple blood draw — like you might check your cholesterol levels — and the sample is sent in for testing.
“The test looks for markers, or signals, of specific cancer-related DNA,” said Dr. Jesse Campbell, the President of Mercy Clinic Oklahoma.
Within approximately two weeks of the blood draw, Mercy’s early detection team and the patient will receive the results of the GRAIL screening, with a separate marker for each of the cancer types included in the screening.
A positive result means a patient should go for additional diagnostic tests to determine if cancer is really present, Campbell said.
For example, if a breast cancer signal is positive, a patient is contacted to schedule an appointment for a mammogram to confirm that the cancer is indeed present. False positives and false negatives are rare but do sometimes happen, Campbell said.
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On the other hand, a negative result doesn’t give a person a pass to skip their normal screenings, but could offer some peace of mind. People should continue their regular cancer screening, and the current recommendation is to repeat the blood test in three years, Campbell said.
For more information and to see if you are eligible, visit mercy.net/EarlyCancerDetection.
