Multicancer Early Detection Tests for Cancer Diagnosis

Abstract

Over time, the pursuit of unraveling the source and process of a regular cell's conversion into cancer has resulted in diverse theories. These can be as diverse as considering cancer to be a supernatural ailment or comprehending the complex dynamics found within specific cancer subtypes, where several biological challenges must be addressed. Several validated screening methods are scarce for many types of cancer, and the existing ones have their limitations. This often results in low patient adherence and unnecessary medical procedures, increasing the financial burden on healthcare systems. Consequently, there is a pressing demand for inventive, precise, and less intrusive instruments for detecting cancer at an early stage. In recent times, multicancer early detection (MCED) tests have emerged as a promising approach. These tests utilize molecular analysis of tumor-related markers found in bodily fluids and incorporate artificial intelligence to simultaneously identify various cancer types and distinguish between them. Despite ongoing evaluation in numerous significant clinical trials, MCED tests may become clinically available soon without a standardized framework for assessing their performance and safety. Currently, it is only a few of them are available to doctors with different mechanisms to detect cancer but have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the market. In this article, we aim to highlight the currently developed various strategies for MCED and the major factors that are preventing their clinical implementation.