Renton, Wash.-based Providence is launching a first-of-its-kind study to examine the real-world implementation of multi-cancer early-detection blood tests.
The study will look at how people with a genetic predisposition to cancer access blood screening tools and how access may impact the choices they make and care they receive, according to a June 25 system news release.
"We believe healthcare should be personalized to everyone’s needs and context, including the clinical, genomic, and social factors contributing to shaping health outcomes," Ari Robicsek, MD, chief analytics and research officer at Providence, told Becker's. "We believe this technology may have great potential to transform how we screen everyone for cancer. Importantly we also believe there could be a tremendous impact on reducing health disparities by making pan cancer screening much more accessible."
Researchers will also evaluate health equity barriers in access to blood tests and identify how these barriers impact patient outcomes.
The three-year study will include participant surveys, interviews and an analysis of electronic health records.
In 2021, Providence was the first health system to use the Galleri test by GRAIL, a cancer blood test.