In the not-so-distant future, when you’re getting your yearly head-to-toe physical from your doctor, a blood test that detects several types of cancer might be part of your checkup.
Besides saying “ah” and having your vital signs and reflexes examined, your primary care physician may also send you to a nearby lab for a quick screening as “virtually every cancer sheds into the bloodstream,” said David Harding, vice president of Thrive Earlier Detection Corp.
The Cambridge, Massachusetts, health care company was acquired by Madison biomedical giant Exact Sciences for $2 billion earlier this year. That’s partly because Thrive’s licensed cancer screening blood test, based on Johns Hopkins research, demonstrated in a study it could pick up 10 types of cancer in 26 women.
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