Willingness of adults in the United States to have a multicancer detection test

Multicancer detection (MCD) testing is an emerging approach with the potential to improve the cancer screening and early detection landscape. As the clinical utility of MCD testing is further determined, it is important to examine patients' willingness to have an MCD test.

We conducted an online survey in September 2024 with a national sample of adults aged 45-80 from the United States (n = 1,043). Multivariable logistic regression identified correlates of participants' willingness to have an MCD test.

About three-fourths of participants (75.2%) indicated they were willing to have an MCD test if it was free or covered by health insurance, while only 16.9% were willing if the test cost $1,000 out of pocket. Participants were more willing to have a free MCD test if they had at least a college degree (odds ratio [OR] = 2.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12-5.48), had some form of health insurance (OR = 3.40, 95% CI 1.84-6.27), or had a routine medical check-up within the last year (OR = 1.62, 95% CI 1.01-2.59). The most commonly endorsed factors that would matter in participants' hypothetical MCD testing decisions were cost or health insurance coverage (60.7%), how well the test works (50.6%), and if a doctor recommended having a test (47.6%).

Most adults are willing to have an MCD test, if it is free or covered by health insurance. Findings can help guide programs about MCD testing for both patients and healthcare providers that are becoming increasingly necessary as MCD testing continues to be examined as a screening strategy.