# Novel proteomics-based plasma test for early detection of multiple cancers in the general population

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-budnik-novelna-proteomics-bmj-oncol-2024/  
OnCo record `paper-budnik-novelna-proteomics-bmj-oncol-2024` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Novelna's discovery study: panels of ten blood proteins, one for men and one for women, separated 440 people with and without 18 early cancers with high accuracy in a small laboratory comparison.

## Summary

Budnik and colleagues measured more than 3,000 plasma proteins by proximity extension assay in 440 people, healthy or diagnosed with 18 early-stage solid tumours, and selected sex-specific panels. The 10-protein detection panels reached an area under the curve of 0.98 in males and 0.983 in females; at stage I and 99% specificity they identified 93% (95% CI 79 to 100) of cancers among males and 84% (68 to 100) among females. 150-protein localisation panels identified the tissue of origin of most cancers in more than 80% of cases.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-10-29
- Journal: BMJ Oncology
- Year: 2024
- DOI: 10.1136/bmjonc-2023-000073
- Authors: Budnik B, Amirkhani H, Forouzanfar MH, Afshin A
- Findings: 10-protein panels: area under the curve 0.98 (males) and 0.983 (females).; Stage I sensitivity at 99% specificity: 93% in males, 84% in females, with wide confidence intervals.; Tissue of origin identified in more than 80% for most cancers.
- What it means: Very high figures from a small discovery set in which the same samples helped choose the proteins; figures like these usually fall when a test meets a larger, independent population.
- Caveats: 440 people across 18 cancer types, so few cases per cancer; wide confidence intervals.; No independent validation in the paper.; Authors include Novelna's founder.

## Sources

- BMJ Oncology 2024: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjonc-2023-000073
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39886137/

## Connected records

- fronts: [Early Detection & Screening](https://onco.cc/fronts/early-detection/)
- technologies: [Multi-cancer early detection (MCED)](https://onco.cc/technologies/mced/), [Proteomics & phosphoproteomics](https://onco.cc/technologies/proteomics/)
- drugs: [Novelna sex-specific protein test](https://onco.cc/drugs/novelna-protein-test/)
- companies: [Novelna](https://onco.cc/companies/novelna/)

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