Full Breakdown
New $60 Blood Test Detects Lung Cancer with 93% Accuracy
By Drooid · · How we work
Study Design and Performance Metrics
The trial enrolled 103 participants—patients with stage 2-4 lung cancer and a healthy control group. The assay correctly flagged cancer in 93% of patients and correctly ruled out cancer in 90% of controls. The methodology uses a dedicated chip and fluorescence analysis to detect methylation changes that signal malignant cells. Researchers note that the test also distinguished adenocarcinoma from squamous-cell carcinoma. A larger, multi-center trial is now underway in Israel and Europe, with results expected by mid-2027.
Expert Commentary
Dr. Abd Agbaria says most patients present at advanced stages and a cheap, fast test could shift many cases to curable surgery. Dr. Ari Raphael, head of translational oncology at the Davidoff Cancer Center, calls the approach “genuinely clever” and highlights its >90% sensitivity and specificity, while noting that validation at stage 1 remains the critical hurdle before clinical adoption.
Ongoing Trials and Future Availability
The current phase of clinical testing is being expanded to additional hospitals across Israel and Europe. Investigators aim to complete this phase by mid-2027, after which the test could be integrated into routine blood work, potentially improving access in low-income settings that lack sequencing infrastructure.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Lung cancer is a disease in which the timing of diagnosis is enormously important. The earlier we are able to detect the disease, the greater the possibilities for treatment and cure. Our goal is to develop a tool that is simple, accessible, and readily available, which can help us detect the disease at a stage when meaningful intervention is still possible,” — Dr. Abd Agbaria, head of Oncology, Bnai Zion Medical Center.
- “Lung cancer is one of the most fatal cancers and one of the most common cancers,” — Dr. Abd Agbaria.
- “Many people with undiagnosed lung cancer come to the emergency room during the winter with a bloody cough and shortness of breath,” — Dr. Abd Agbaria.
- “That is the bar every liquid biopsy must clear before earning a place in the clinic.” — Dr. Abd Agbaria.