Listen here to WVON’s “Dr. in the House with Dr. Terry Mason” when his guest was University of Illinois Cancer Center member Ameen Salahudeen, MD, PhD, and they talked about a national study of a clinical test that screens for a shared cancer signal in a sample of patient blood. The segment aired live January 7.
The University of Illinois Cancer Center and the UI Health Mile Square Health Center are enrolling patients 50 years and older of average health in the PATHFINDER 2 trial led by the biotechnology company GRAIL.
The Cancer Center brings to the study a uniquely diverse patient population where nearly 4 out of 5 participants in clinical trials come from underrepresented groups. The trial also offers patients at Mile Square, a federally qualified health center providing primary care to underserved populations, the opportunity for screening with this new multi-cancer detection technology.
The trial will assess GRAIL’s Galleri blood test, which screens for a cancer signal shared by more than 50 types of cancers. Many of these diseases, such as pancreatic and blood cancers, do not currently have recommended screening tests and often go undetected until later stages when they start causing severe symptoms and may be harder to treat.