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Promises and pitfalls of multi-cancer early detection using liquid biopsy tests
Jonathan C M Wan1,2, Peter Sasieni3, Nitzan Rosenfeld4,5,6
1Department of Oncology, University College London, London, UK.
Nature Reviews. Clinical Oncology
|June 13, 2025
Summary
Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests using liquid biopsies show promise for early cancer diagnosis. Ongoing trials will determine if current MCED test performance translates to clinical benefits for improved cancer outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Genomics
- Public Health
Background:
- Early cancer detection significantly improves patient outcomes and treatment efficacy.
- Liquid biopsy offers a minimally invasive approach for cancer screening.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the current state of multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests.
- To discuss the potential and challenges of liquid biopsy-based MCED approaches.
- To explore future directions in early cancer detection.
Main Methods:
- Review of current literature on liquid biopsy and MCED technologies.
- Analysis of ongoing large-scale clinical trials for MCED tests.
- Discussion of diagnostic performance and clinical utility.
Main Results:
- Liquid biopsy-based MCED tests combine early detection with tumor origin identification.
- Large-scale trials are evaluating the clinical utility of first-generation MCED tests.
- The diagnostic performance required for clinical benefit is yet to be fully established.
Conclusions:
- MCED tests represent a significant advancement in cancer screening.
- Further research and clinical validation are crucial to realize the full potential of MCED.
- Optimizing diagnostic performance is key for successful clinical translation of MCED tests.
