Psychosocial impact associated with a multicancer early detection test (PATHFINDER): a prospective, multicentre,...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Genomics
• Public Health

Background:

• The PATHFINDER study investigated multicancer early detection (MCED) testing in an outpatient ambulatory setting.
• Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) were collected as secondary and exploratory measures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess patient-reported outcomes and perceptions following MCED testing.
• To evaluate the impact of MCED test result disclosure on distress, anxiety, quality of life, and satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, multicentre cohort study enrolled 6621 adults aged 50+ without clinical suspicion of cancer.
• PRO instruments included MICRA for distress, PROMIS Anxiety for anxiety symptoms, and SF-12v2 for quality of life.
• Exploratory objective assessed adherence to guideline-recommended screening.

Main Results:

• Of 6621 participants, 92 had a cancer signal detected (CSD) and 6529 had no cancer signal detected (NCSD).
• Mean general anxiety scores increased transiently in true-positive and false-positive groups post-disclosure, returning to baseline within 12 months.
• High satisfaction (97.1%) reported with MCED testing, with 95.6% likely to adhere to future screening recommendations.

Conclusions:

• Negative patient-reported effects from CSD results were small and temporary, returning to baseline within 12 months.
• MCED testing demonstrates potential clinical benefit for early cancer detection with minimal patient distress.
• Findings support the clinical utility of MCED testing in an ambulatory population.