Detection of Cancers Three Years prior to Diagnosis Using Plasma Cell-Free DNA.

ABSTRACT: To explore how early cancers can be detected prior to clinical signs or symptoms, we assessed prospectively collected serial plasma samples from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, including 26 participants diagnosed with cancer and 26 matched controls. At the index time point, 8 of these 52 participants scored positively with a multicancer early detection test. All eight participants were diagnosed with cancer within 4 months after blood collection. In six of these eight participants, we were able to assess an earlier plasma sample collected 3.1 to 3.5 years prior to clinical diagnosis. In four of these six participants, the same mutations detected by the multicancer early detection test could be identified but at 8.6- to 79-fold lower mutant allele fractions. These results dem

SUBMITTER: Wang Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12354160 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature