# Detection and localization of surgically resectable cancers with a multi-analyte blood test

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-cohen-cancerseek-multi-analyte-blood-test-science-2018/  
OnCo record `paper-cohen-cancerseek-multi-analyte-blood-test-science-2018` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

CancerSEEK, a blood test reading eight proteins and mutations in free DNA, found a median 70% of 1,005 non-spread cancers of eight types, including pancreatic cancer, and pointed to the organ involved in most cases.

## Summary

A blood test assessing circulating protein levels and mutations in cell-free DNA was applied to 1,005 patients with non-metastatic, clinically detected cancers of the ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus, colorectum, lung or breast. CancerSEEK tests were positive in a median of 70% of the eight cancer types, with sensitivities of 69 to 98% for the five types with no screening test for average-risk individuals (ovary, liver, stomach, pancreas, oesophagus). Specificity exceeded 99% with 7 of 812 healthy controls positive, and the test localised the cancer to a small number of anatomical sites in a median 83% of patients.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-24
- Journal: Science
- Year: 2018
- DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3247
- Authors: Cohen JD, Li L, Wang Y, et al.
- Findings: Median 70% sensitivity across eight cancer types at over 99% specificity.; Pancreas among the five types at 69 to 98% sensitivity.; Tissue of origin localised in a median 83% of positives.
- What it means: The proof of principle for multi-cancer blood tests that include pancreas; the sensitivity figures come from known cancers, not from screening.
- Caveats: Case-control design with clinically detected cancers.; Stage I sensitivity is much lower than the headline figure.

## Sources

- Cohen et al., Science 2018: CancerSEEK in 1,005 patients with eight cancer types: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar3247
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29348365/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/pancreatic/)
- technologies: [Liquid biopsy (ctDNA)](https://onco.cc/technologies/liquid-biopsy/), [Multi-cancer early detection (MCED)](https://onco.cc/technologies/mced/), [Proteomics & phosphoproteomics](https://onco.cc/technologies/proteomics/)
- drugs: [MI Cancer Seek](https://onco.cc/drugs/caris-mi-cancer-seek/)
- institutions: [Johns Hopkins Hospital / Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center](https://onco.cc/institutions/johns-hopkins/)
- terms: [Cell-free DNA (cfDNA)](https://onco.cc/terms/cfdna/), [Circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA)](https://onco.cc/terms/ctdna/), [DETECT-A: a blood test plus PET-CT to screen 10,006 women with no symptoms](https://onco.cc/terms/detect-a-study/)
- people: [Bert Vogelstein](https://onco.cc/people/bert-vogelstein/), [Kenneth W. Kinzler](https://onco.cc/people/kenneth-kinzler/), [Nickolas Papadopoulos](https://onco.cc/people/nickolas-papadopoulos/)
- journals: [Science](https://onco.cc/journals/science/)

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