Researchers at Johns Hopkins University are developing a promising blood test that could identify cancer up to three years before symptoms emerge, potentially revolutionizing early detection and treatment. 

The test, known as the multicancer early detection blood test, utilizes advanced technology to detect tumor DNA fragments circulating in the bloodstream, long before traditional diagnostic methods can uncover the disease.

Published last week in the journal Cancer Discovery, the study highlights the early detection test’s potential to transform outcomes for cancer patients. 

“Three years earlier provides time for intervention,” the lead author of the study, Yuxuan Wang, said in a statement. “The tumors are likely to be much less advanced and more likely to be curable.”

“Detecting cancers years before their clinical diagnosis could help provide management with a more favorable outcome,” a senior author of the study, oncologist Nickolas Papadopoulos, said. “Of course, we need to determine the appropriate clinical follow-up after a positive test for such cancers.”

The early detection test identifies circulating tumor DNA — minute fragments of genetic material released by tumors into the bloodstream. By using highly sensitive sequencing technologies, the test detects trace genetic changes that may signal the presence of cancer even in its earliest stages.

To evaluate the test’s effectiveness, the researchers analyzed plasma samples from 52 individuals, including 26 who were later diagnosed with cancer and 26 who remained cancer-free. Of those tested, eight individuals were accurately identified as having tumor DNA in their blood. Remarkably, all eight were diagnosed with cancer within four months of testing.

The findings became even more compelling when researchers examined earlier blood samples collected 3.1 years to 3.5 years before cancer diagnoses. Tumor-related mutations were detectable in four of the six cases analyzed, emphasizing the test’s ability to detect cancer far earlier than current screening methods.

Despite the groundbreaking findings, the early warning test is still in the research phase and is not yet available for widespread clinical use. Researchers stressed the importance of larger-scale studies to validate the test’s reliability and determine the practical implications of early detection.