Galleri Detects More Early Cancers in Trials

Grail’s Galleri multi-cancer early detection blood test produced headline results presented at PATHFINDER 2 and ESMO, briefly boosting Grail’s stock as analysts reviewed the data. In the PATHFINDER 2 study of about 23,000 participants over age 50, Galleri detected 133 cancers within a year compared with 20 found by standard recommended screenings, with more than half of detections at stage I or II and roughly three-quarters being cancers without existing screening (for example pancreatic, liver, ovarian, and stomach). Analysis of 6,238 NHS symptomatic patients showed Galleri retrospectively identified over a third of cases initially labeled false positives who were later diagnosed with cancer within two years and usually localized the tissue of origin. The NHS is running a 140,000-person trial of the test with potential expansion to a million people, while experts stress the need for further peer-reviewed, population-level outcome data before broad rollout. Complementary circulating tumor DNA work (for example Natera’s Signatera) has also shown clinical utility in guiding adjuvant therapy decisions, illustrating how liquid biopsies may both screen for and help direct cancer treatment.