Guardant Health, an oncology-focused technology company, is developing blood tests that help detect cancer in its early stages, CNBC reports.
The "liquid biopsy" tests can identify tiny amounts of genetic material in a patient's blood to provide physicians insight as to what types of treatment may be most effective for the individual, according to the report. Blood tests for cancer detection are commonly used for patients with stage 3 or 4 cancer.
"We're not that far away from seeing the promise becoming a reality of a blood test for early detection," Guardant Health Co-founder and CEO Helmy Eltoukhy told CNBC.
In 2018, Guardant Health's blood tests were used in 50 types of cancers. The company anticipates liquid biopsies will assist patients when tissue biopsies cannot, such as when the tissue would be too difficult to obtain, according to the report.