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A blood test has been added to colorectal cancer screening options. Here’s what to know.

Nbcwashington · 🇺🇸 public United States · · 740 words · By Erika Edwards; NBC News
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What to know about A blood test has been added to colorectal cancer screening options. Here’s what to know.

For the first time, a blood test has been added to the list of the American Cancer Society’s recommended screenings for colorectal cancer.

Claims checked 13
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

For the first time, a blood test has been added to the list of the American Cancer Society’s recommended screenings for colorectal cancer.

Why it matters

It’s not meant to replace colonoscopies, aiming instead at catching people who might not get screened otherwise.

Common ground

“About a third of Americans are not up to date with colorectal cancer screening,” said Dr.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/national-international/blood-test-added-color…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 3
info Single Source 3
help Insufficient Evidence 2
check_circle Corroborated 2
verified Verified By Reference 2
verified Verified 1
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Claim 1: “Everyone at average risk for colorectal cancer should start screening at age 45”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
schedule
Claim 2: “A positive stool or blood test would require a colonoscopy”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
verified
Claim 3: “The blood test, called Shield, from California-based Guardant Health, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in 2024”
VERIFIED
Multiple web search results explicitly state that the FDA approved Guardant Health's Shield blood test in July 2024. Wikipedia confirms Guardant Health is based in California.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — AmirAli Talasaz is an entrepreneur in the field of clinical diagnostics. He founded the startup Auriphex Biosciences and is co-founder and co-chief executive officer of Guardant Health.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AmirAli_Talasaz
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Guardant Health, Inc. is an American biotechnology company based in Palo Alto, California. Co-founders Helmy Eltoukhy and AmirAli Talasaz serve as co-chief executive officers.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guardant_Health
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Helmy Eltoukhy is an American scientist and a businessperson who co-founded startups Avantome and Guardant Health. Guardant Health was founded to pioneer non-invasive liquid biopsy approaches for canc…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helmy_Eltoukhy
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 4: “Precancerous polyps don’t release those DNA fragments”
SINGLE SOURCE
While evidence defines precancerous polyps, none of the provided sources explicitly state that these polyps 'do not release those DNA fragments' detected by the Shield test.
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web search NEUTRAL — The term precancerous or premalignant condition may refer to certain conditions, such as monoclonal gammopathy of unknown significance, or to certain lesions, such as colorectal adenoma (colon polyps)…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precancerous_condition
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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 31, 2025 · Precancerous cells, also called premalignant cells, are abnormal cells that have changes in how they look or grow. The cells are not cancer, but they show changes that raise the risk of…
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/understanding-cancer/what-is-c…
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web search NEUTRAL — May 26, 2026 · Precancerous cells are abnormal cells that have the potential to become cancerous if left untreated. Screening for precancerous cells so they can be monitored and treated can help reduc…
https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-precancerous-cells-2…
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Claim 5: “It works by detecting DNA fragments released by cancerous tumors”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources, including a fact sheet and a PMC-NIH study, confirm the test works by detecting fragments of colorectal tumor DNA released into the blood.
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web search NEUTRAL — Shield is a blood-based colorectal cancer screening test that can detect fragments of colorectal tumor DNA that are released, or shed, into the blood. DNA ...
https://shieldcancerscreen.com/wp-content/uploads/Guardant_S…
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web search NEUTRAL — Shield is a blood-based colorectal cancer screening test that can detect fragments of colorectal tumor DNA that are released, or shed, into the blood. DNA ...
https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/cdrh_docs/pdf23/P230009D.pdf
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web search NEUTRAL — This test is designed to detect genomic alterations and abnormal methylation of DNA fragments that are circulating in the blood. Prior data from a case ...
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12795244/
schedule
Claim 6: “The new guidelines also allow the latest stool-based tests, sold under the brand names Cologuard or ColoSense”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
schedule
Claim 7: “The Shield blood test... should be done every three years”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
help
Claim 8: “More than 108,000 new cases of colon cancer and nearly 50,000 cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed this year in the U.S.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was gathered for this claim.
verified
Claim 9: “About a third of Americans are not up to date with colorectal cancer screening”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The search results mention colorectal cancer screening generally and a snippet about adults without health insurance, but no specific statistic confirming that 'about a third' of Americans are not up to date.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — African Americans or Black Americans, also formerly called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group who, as defined by the United States census, consists of Americans who have ancestry …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Americans
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Hobby Lobby smuggling scandal started in 2009 when representatives of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores received a large number of clay bullae and tablets originating in the ancient Near East.…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_Lobby_smuggling_scandal
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, who…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Americans
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “The Shield test costs $895 out of pocket”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided for this claim consists of links to Microsoft Outlook and is completely irrelevant to the cost of the Shield blood test.
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web search NEUTRAL — Download free Microsoft Outlook email and calendar, plus Office Online apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Sign in to access your Outlook email account.
https://www.outlook.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Access your Outlook email and calendar, and manage your Microsoft account securely online.
https://outlook.live.com/mail/0/logoutFrame.html/?loadMoreIf…
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web search NEUTRAL — Sign in to access your Microsoft account and manage your emails, calendar, and other features in one place.
https://outlook.office.com/mail/?ui=en-US&rs=US
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Claim 11: “colorectal cancer... is the nation’s top cause of cancer death in people under age 50”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S. for adults under 50 (specifically mentioning men under 50 and adults between 20 to 49).
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a list of events of the year 2026 in the United States, as well as predicted and scheduled events that have not yet occurred. July 4, 2026, will be the 250th anniversary of the signin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_in_the_United_States
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). It is the consequence of uncontroll…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorectal_cancer
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A colorectal polyp is a polyp (fleshy growth) occurring on the lining of the colon or rectum. Untreated colorectal polyps can develop into colorectal cancer. Colorectal polyps are often classified by …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colorectal_polyp
+ 3 more evidence sources
verified
Claim 12: “a blood test has been added to the list of the American Cancer Society’s recommended screenings for colorectal cancer”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The provided evidence for claim 0 consists of general information about the American Cancer Society and American Airlines, but does not mention the addition of a blood test to their recommended screenings.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. The ACS publishes the journals Cancer, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and Cancer Cytopat…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cancer_Society
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan advocacy affiliate of the American Cancer Society. It was founded in September 2001 to directly lobby with the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cancer_Society_Cancer…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Canadian Cancer Society (French: Société canadienne du cancer) is Canada's largest national cancer charity and the largest national charitable funder of cancer research in Canada.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Cancer_Society
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 13: “studies have found the Shield blood test is 83% effective in finding colorectal cancers”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim includes a Wikipedia entry for 'Shields' (armor) and a dictionary definition, but no data regarding the 83% effectiveness rate of the blood test.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Shields are used to intercept specific attacks, whether from close-ranged weaponry like spears or long ranged projectiles such as arrows. They function as means of active blocks, as well as to provide…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shield
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web search NEUTRAL — Shield is intended for colorectal cancer screening in individuals at average risk for the disease, age 45 years or older. Patients with a positive result should be followed by colonoscopy.
https://shieldcancerscreen.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — 4 days ago · The meaning of SHIELD is a broad piece of defensive armor carried on the arm. How to use shield in a sentence. Synonym Discussion of Shield.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/shield
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.