Blood test for colon cancer screening is approved by US regulators

AP Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. health regulators have approved a blood test for colon cancer, offering a new way of screening for a leading cause of cancer deaths. Medical manufacturer Guardant said Monday the Food and Drug Administration approved its Shield test for screening adults 45 and older. The approval is expected to increase insurance coverage of the test, which is already available for nearly $900. The test looks for DNA fragments shed by tumor cells and precancerous growths. In a study published in March, the test caught 83% of the cancers but very few of the precancerous growths found by colonoscopy, the gold standard for colon cancer screening.