Abbott Data Show Dual-Biomarker Blood Test Boosts Early Cancer Detection

A New Era for Cancer Screening

At the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in San Diego this week, researchers unveiled fresh data suggesting that simple blood draws may soon catch many cancers before symptoms appear. The presentations, delivered on 17 April 2026, mark another milestone in the fast-evolving field of multi-cancer early detection, where so-called liquid biopsies aim to spot tumours by reading the molecular traces they leave in the bloodstream.

Abbott's Dual-Biomarker Approach

Abbott shared results from its Cancerguard test, which uniquely combines two biomarker classes: DNA methylation patterns and circulating proteins. In a prospectively collected case-control study, nearly half of the positive cancer signals came from methylation alone, with additional detections driven by protein-only signals and combined readings. The false-positive rate was just 2.6%, and crucially, none of those false positives lit up both biomarker classes simultaneously, suggesting the dual approach helps filter noise. "We designed Cancerguard as the first-of-its-kind multi-biomarker test because no one signal tells the whole story," said Tom Beer, chief medical officer of Abbott's cancer diagnostics business.

A Crowded and Competitive Field

Abbott is far from alone. GRAIL's Galleri test, which screens for over 50 cancer types via cell-free DNA methylation, reported a positive predictive value of 61.6% in its PATHFINDER 2 trial, with more than half of detections caught at stage I or II. A separate proteome-based test from Novelna identified 93% of stage I cancers in men and 84% in women across 18 tumour types at 99% specificity, and pinpointed the organ of origin in over 80% of cases. Newer entrants include a CRISPR-powered light sensor and Peking University's cf-EpiTracing platform, which hit 92.2% accuracy for colorectal cancer.

Caution From Experts

Despite the momentum, the American Cancer Society warns that no multi-cancer early detection test has yet received FDA approval, and it remains unproven whether earlier detection actually reduces cancer deaths. A landmark UK trial of more than 140,000 participants evaluating Galleri is expected to deliver results on late-stage cancer incidence in 2026. With nearly 70% of cancers occurring in types lacking recommended screening, the stakes for getting these tools right are extraordinarily high.