Quest Diagnostics announced a collaboration with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop a blood test that identifies patients at elevated risk for multiple cancers, potentially addressing significant gaps in current cancer screening practices. The partnership aims to commercialize the Multi-Cancer Stratification Test (MCaST) technology by 2026, offering a more accessible alternative to existing screening methods.
Technology Based on Extensive Clinical Research
The blood test will be based on circulating protein biomarkers associated with high risk for nine cancer types: colorectal, lung, breast, pancreatic, ovarian, liver, prostate, esophageal, and stomach cancers. The technology originates from the laboratory of Samir Hanash, M.D., Ph.D., at MD Anderson, who identified the biomarker set through extensive clinical research conducted on screening study cohorts involving tens of thousands of individuals.
Quest has secured a developmental license to the MCaST technology and intellectual property, with plans to refine, develop, and validate the technology for its own laboratory-developed test. The company expects the test will supplement, rather than replace, conventional screening methods by helping providers identify patients who would benefit from medically appropriate screening or other forms of evaluation.
Addressing Current Screening Limitations
The collaboration addresses significant challenges in current cancer screening practices. Only 51% of U.S. adults report having had a routine medical appointment or routine cancer screening in the last year. Conventional screening methods target a limited number of cancers individually, often involving invasive or costly procedures that patients resist.
"One of the biggest problems in cancer care today is patients skipping preventive screenings because the methods are too invasive, inconvenient or unaffordable," said Mark Gardner, senior vice president, Oncology, Genomics and R&D at Quest Diagnostics. "Another huge problem is a lack of tests for infrequent, but often deadly cancers, like pancreatic cancer."
Differentiation from Existing Technologies
The MCaST approach differs from existing multi-cancer early detection (MCED) liquid biopsy tests that detect cancer DNA in circulating blood. According to Quest, while MCED tests are convenient, they are comparatively expensive, not intended to personalize risk, and may lack well-established protocols for clinical follow-up.
MD Anderson's protein-based approach has shown promise in recent research. Studies from Hanash's laboratory have demonstrated that protein panels can identify patients at higher risk of developing cancer, including a four-marker protein panel for lung cancer risk identification and a protein that rises two years before pancreatic cancer diagnosis.
Clinical Applications and Market Potential
The blood test could support more targeted and cost-effective screening strategies. For pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, which is typically detected after the cancer is advanced and contributes to low survival rates, routine abdominal imaging screening is cost-prohibitive. A blood test could enable more targeted screening approaches.
Similarly, while imaging is already recommended for high-risk lung cancer patients, uptake remains low. One study found that only 17% of eligible patients received screening scans in 2022, with current schemes targeting only current and former heavy smokers. The blood test could encourage broader screening participation and extend benefits to non-smokers at elevated risk.
Quest plans to make the test available to providers in North America in 2026, assuming successful validation. The company aims to create a simple blood test that patients can conveniently access and reasonably afford to identify cancer risk across multiple types, potentially encouraging patients with elevated risk to pursue preventive screening or other medical assessments that could identify cancer in early, more treatable stages.
