Sentara launches new study to evaluate multi-cancer detection tests
Sentara Health is recruiting participants for the Vanguard Study, a national study of a new type of blood test that screens for several types of cancer.
Researchers will evaluate whether these Multi-Cancer Detection (MCD) tests will help people ages 45 to 75 find cancer early when it may be easier to treat.
This is the first study of the Cancer Screening Research Network, a new national network of primary care sites devoted to cancer screening research that is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health.
“We’re excited to be part of this national study to understand how multi-cancer detection tests perform for people in our community,” said John Sayles, M.D., Sentara Health Principal Investigator.
“If we find evidence that they can identify cancers in people before they develop symptoms, this will be the first step toward our long-term goal of reducing deaths for a number of cancers where we currently have no screening options or where the current options are more invasive.”
Multi-cancer detection tests detect biological substances released in the bloodstream by cancer cells. Each MCD test screens for several kinds of cancer, and the MCD tests in the Vanguard Study will screen for the following cancers: Bladder, breast, colorectal, esophageal, stomach, liver, lung, ovarian, pancreatic, and prostate.
The Vanguard Study will recruit adults ages 45 to 75 with no cancer diagnosis in the past five years. The study will evaluate two tests: Avantect® MCD Test by ClearNote Health, and the ShieldTM MCD Test by Guardant Health.
Study participants will give two blood samples and complete regular cancer screening as recommended by clinicians. Participants will be randomized to one of three arms: two MCD arms where their blood will be tested by an MCD test or a control arm where the blood will be stored for potential future research. By joining this study, participants will help shape the future of cancer screening.
“We need to rigorously evaluate multi-cancer detection tests to understand if they’re effective and accurate cancer screening tools for everyone, and learn how participants navigate receiving their test results,” said Scott Ramsey, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the CSRN and cancer researcher at Fred Hutch Cancer Center.
The Vanguard Study is an important preliminary step in the larger plan to evaluate how well MCD tests work for reducing cancer mortality. The Vanguard study will provide information on how MCD tests work as cancer screening tools and explore the decisions that patients and their doctors make based on their results.
Sentara currently is enrolling participants in the study. Please visit https://www.virginiacsrn.org, call 757-765-7780, or email vanguard@sentara.com to learn more about the study and eligibility to participate.