CU Anschutz Launches Early Cancer Detection Trial

Researchers are testing blood tests that could screen for 10 different cancer types.

Published on Feb. 11, 2026

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Researchers at the CU Anschutz Cancer Center have launched a clinical trial funded by the National Cancer Institute to evaluate blood tests that could detect a number of cancers earlier than current methods. The Vanguard Study on Multi-Cancer Detection is testing two blood tests that screen for 10 different types of cancer, including pancreatic, stomach, ovarian, bladder, breast, colorectal, liver, lung, esophageal and prostate cancers.

Why it matters

Early cancer detection is crucial for improving treatment outcomes and survival rates. These new blood tests could allow for earlier diagnosis of multiple cancer types, potentially leading to more effective treatment and better prognoses for patients.

The details

The blood tests work by detecting cancer cells that break up into fragments and enter a person's bloodstream. The tests will be evaluated for accuracy, cost, survival rates, and patients' anxiety levels around screening. The CU Anschutz Cancer Center is one of eight centers nationwide participating in the Vanguard Study, which is part of the Biden-Harris administration's Cancer Moonshot initiative.

  • The Vanguard Study on Multi-Cancer Detection launched in February 2026.

The players

CU Anschutz Cancer Center

A leading cancer research and treatment center in Colorado, part of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

Dr. Linda Cook

The principal investigator for the Vanguard Study on Multi-Cancer Detection at CU Anschutz.

National Cancer Institute

The federal government's principal agency for cancer research and training.

Biden-Harris administration

The current presidential administration, which has launched the Cancer Moonshot initiative to accelerate cancer research and treatment.

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What they’re saying

“The idea with this is that it's just a simple blood test and you can, you know, detect many of them at the same time.”

— Dr. Linda Cook, Principal Investigator (9NEWS)

“That's exactly what we want to do — we want to move this timeline back so we catch it when it's early and treatable.”

— Dr. Linda Cook, Principal Investigator (9NEWS)

What’s next

The Vanguard Study will enroll up to 24,000 people to inform the design of a much larger trial involving about 225,000 people. The larger trial will evaluate whether the benefits of using multi-cancer detection (MCD) tests to screen for cancer outweigh the harms, and whether they can detect cancer early in a way that reduces deaths.

The takeaway

This clinical trial represents a significant step forward in the effort to detect multiple cancer types earlier through a simple blood test. If successful, these new screening methods could lead to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatment, ultimately saving lives.