What Is MCED Testing?

Currently under study, multicancer early detection (MCED) tests have the potential to fill gaps in the screening process for some cancers, consequently leading to earlier diagnoses for cancers historically diagnosed at later stages because of a lack of screening options. MCED tests use various methods to detect multiple cancers from one blood sample, such as methylation-based assay, which analyzes methylation patterns in cell-free DNA. In cancer cells, hypermethylation may silence tumor suppressor genes in the early stages of cancer growth. DNA hypermethylation has become a promising biomarker for early cancer detection.