FDA approves new blood test to screen for colon cancer

The new test could increase the number of people screened for colorectal cancer, especially among adults too young for routine colonoscopies.

The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved Guardant Health’s blood test, called Shield, to screen for colon cancer. The test isn't meant to replace colonoscopies, but is generating enthusiasm among doctors who say it has the potential to boost the dismal rate of screenings for the second-highest cause of cancer death in the United States.

Shield has previously been available to doctors as a screening tool, at an out-of-pocket cost of $895. With the FDA approval, Medicare and private insurance companies are much more likely to cover the cost of the blood test, making it more widely accessible for patients.

Dr. Arvind Dasari, an associate professor in the department of gastrointestinal and medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, called the approval a “welcome development.”