Blood-Based CRC Screening Tests Lag Behind Other Screening Options In Cost-Effectiveness Study

MedPage Today (10/28, Bankhead) reports, “New blood-based screening tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) offered fewer benefits at higher cost versus other screening options, a cost-effectiveness modeling study suggested.” Researchers found that “in a comparison against multiple alternative screening strategies, a cell-free DNA blood test prevented the fewest cancers and cancer-specific deaths versus no screening.” With an approximate “cost of almost $90,000 per quality-adjusted life-year gained, the Guardant Shield blood test also had the highest cost among available options.” The findings were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.