Top doctors warn against $1,000 blood tests that claim to detect 50 types of cancer - urging Americans not to skip critical screenings READ MORE: Blood tests could flag up risk of 19 types of cancer By Emily Joshu Health Reporter In Chicago For Dailymail.Com Published: 15:00, 1 June 2024 | Updated: 18:59, 3 June 2024 e-mail 39 shares 16 View comments Top doctors have warned against tests that claim to detect dozens of types of cancer , urging Americans that 'we don't have the evidence' and to stick to regular screenings. Multi-cancer detection tests (MCDs) have emerged as potential alternatives to invasive tests like colonoscopies and mammograms.
These tools, which mainly consist of blood draws, are meant to pick up on abnormal proteins and other cells consistent with cancer. Similar to full-body MRI scans promoted by Kim Kardashian and Gwyneth Paltrow , many MCDs also claim to catch the disease before symptoms start, meaning cancer is detected in earlier stages. However, researchers presenting at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in Chicago this weekend said that while early studies are compelling, they would not recommend them for their patients and they're 'not quite ready' to be widely prescribed.
They also warned that MCDs run the risk of false positives, which could lead to patients undergoing a battery of unnecessary tests. And these tools are not covered by insurance, with just one test costing upward of $1,000. Doctors at the American Society of Clini.
