Exact Sciences, MD Anderson Cancer Center to Develop Lung Cancer Tests

Exact Sciences and the University of Texas’ MD Anderson Cancer Center announced Thursday that they have entered into an agreement to develop and market blood-based screening and diagnostic tests for lung cancer early detection.

The organizations say the partnership will benefit from MD Anderson’s lung cancer predictive biomarker research and Exact Sciences’ track record with Cologuard, the only noninvasive stool-based DNA colon cancer screening test to receive FDA approval.

The new tests will ascertain whether low-dose computed tomography is needed, as well as determine the malignancy status of nodules found from LDCT screening. Patients with early stage detection can have up to an 80 percent five-year survival rate.

The collaboration falls under the center’s Moon Shots Program, an initiative aimed at cancer prevention, early detection and curative treatments.

The American Cancer Society projects more than 221,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer in the U.S. and more than 158,000 will die from the disease this year.— Jason Scott