(BPT) - Many people know that finding cancer early, before it spreads, may help increase the chances of treating and surviving cancer.1 But navigating risk factors and getting ahead can be confusing and overwhelming. Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) with the Cancerguard® test can detect signals for cancers that do not have routine screening options. It's important to understand MCED tests, who they can help and how they can play a role in being proactive about health.
Why do you need to screen for cancer even if you feel healthy?
While cancer is the second leading cause of death within the United States, most cancers do not have a recommended screening method and can be detected too late to be treated effectively.2 This includes some of the deadliest cancer types - pancreatic, ovarian, stomach and esophageal.2,3
Finding cancer early may help increase the chances of treating and surviving cancer.1 The sooner cancer is identified through screening like MCED testing, the sooner it can be treated.
What is Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) testing?
Using a simple blood draw, MCED tests, like Cancerguard, detect cancer signals in the blood. Normal cells regularly release a small amount of healthy DNA and protein into the bloodstream. If cancer is present, cancer cells will also release altered DNA and other markers into the bloodstream. The Cancerguard test helps identify differences in these DNA and protein markers in the blood - which can be used to find cancer even in earlier stages, when it is more treatable.3
How are MCED tests different from routine screenings?
Routine single-cancer screenings look for one type of cancer at a time, while the Cancerguard test helps detect over 50 cancer types and subtypes.3,4 U.S. Preventive Services Task Force A&B Guidelines recommend screening for only four cancer types: breast, cervical, colorectal and lung (in high-risk populations),5 leaving nearly 70% of annual cancers and deaths with no recommended screening options.6
Before symptoms even appear, MCED tests can identify cancer-associated biomarkers to help detect the presence of a range of screen-detected cancers. MCED testing is intended to be used as a complement to routine screening options.
If MCED tests are so powerful, which should you choose?
Cancerguard is the only MCED test available that analyzes multiple biomarker classes to enhance early detection potential. Exact Sciences, the makers of the Cologuard® test, introduced the Cancerguard test which can detect over 50 cancer types and subtypes, including the 6 most deadly forms.3,4 In addition to analyzing methylated DNA markers in the body associated with cancer, the Cancerguard test also analyzes protein biomarkers linked to cancer. It was designed to evolve and incorporate new cancer-associated biomarkers as they are discovered. Consider the Cancerguard test if:
- You are proactive about your health
- You have increased risk factors such as smoking or alcohol use
- You haven't had a cancer diagnosis in the last 3 years
- You have a family history of cancer
- Your healthcare provider thinks you are an appropriate patient for the test
This test is not recommended for individuals who have had cancer within the last three years or who are pregnant and does not replace recommended screening. Individuals interested in taking the Cancerguard test should talk to their health care provider about whether the test is right for them.
You are interested in using the Cancerguard® test. How does the testing process work?
Screening is simple and convenient. You can request your test in one of two ways:
- By visiting Cancerguard.com, where you can request a prescription via telehealth
- By requesting the test via your healthcare provider
Once the test is ordered by a healthcare provider, have your blood sample taken at:
- Your doctor's office
- A local hospital system
- An approved blood drawing center
- Home, where a professional phlebotomist comes to you
Your sample will be shipped to Exact Sciences Laboratories for analysis. Results will be available in about two weeks to discuss with your ordering provider.
- If results are negative, continue your regular cancer screenings and consider incorporating MCED testing into your annual wellness routine.
- If results are positive, plan your next steps with your health care provider. A positive result means that the blood test identified a cancer signal that may indicate the presence of cancer. It is not a diagnosis and does not confirm that you have cancer. Imaging (radiology) scans and other medical tests are typically needed to locate and confirm a cancer diagnosis.
Exact Sciences offers Care Navigation support to help you through your next steps. Exact Sciences also offers an imaging reimbursement program that reimburses up to $6,000 for non-covered imaging costs to help reduce the financial impact for eligible patients.*
*Patients must apply. Eligibility depends on program qualifications, is not guaranteed, and is subject to change. The program will not reimburse any covered imaging costs, including copay, coinsurance and/or deductible amounts determined by insurance. For more information patients should contact to apply, call 1-844-870-8870.
What should you do if you get a negative result?
The Cancerguard test does not replace routine cancer screening and tests, and it is not a diagnostic tool. Discuss with your doctor how you may use the Cancerguard test as an important tool to complement your routine screenings.
To learn more about how the Cancerguard test can expand your health screening journey, visit www.cancerguard.com.
Cancerguard, Cologuard, and Exact Sciences are trademarks of Exact Sciences Corporation.
© 2026 Exact Sciences Corporation. All rights reserved.
Disclaimer: The Cancerguard test was developed, and the performance characteristics validated by Exact Sciences Laboratories following College of American Pathologists (CAP) and Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. This test has not been cleared or approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. The test is performed at Exact Sciences Laboratories. Exact Sciences Laboratories is accredited by CAP, certified under CLIA regulations, and qualified to perform high-complexity clinical laboratory testing.
References
- The Cancer Atlas. Early Detection. Accessed February 20, 2026. https://canceratlas.cancer.org/taking-action/early-detection/
- Siegel RL, Kratzer TB, Giaquinto AN, et al. Cancer statistics, 2025. CA Cancer J Clin. 2025;75:10-45.
- Cancerguard Clinician Brochure. Exact Sciences Corporation. Madison, WI.
- Data on file. Cancerguard Cancer Subtype Analysis. Exact Sciences. Madison, WI; September 2025. [MED-REF- 01259]
- USPSTF. A & B Recommendations. Accessed November 10, 2025. https://www.uspreventiveservicestaskforce.org/uspstf/recommendation-topics/uspstf-a-and-b- recommendations
- Data on file. Cancers without USPSTF recommended screening. 2026. Medical Affairs, Exact Sciences, Madison, WI
