Simple Cancer Testing

Colorectal cancer is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., killing approximately 53,000 people each year. Despite this, 50 million people eligible for screenings don’t do them, says Guardant Health co-CEO AmirAli Talasaz, and one study found 76% of deaths occurred in patients who hadn’t been screened. Guardant’s Shield test makes screening as routine as getting blood drawn—that’s all it entails. A much pleasanter option than colonoscopies and stool samples, the Shield test detects colon cancer tissue in blood samples using data analysis and AI. A March 2024 study in The New England Journal of Medicine put Shield’s detection sensitivity rate at 83%, and it was FDA approved for use in the U.S. in July.