Cancer Diagnostic Delay Rates Associated With a Population-Based Screening Trial Evaluating a Cell-Free DNA Multicancer Early Detection Test

Was a population-based screening trial evaluating a cell-free DNA–based multicancer early detection (MCED) test associated with changes in cancer diagnostic delay rates?In this difference-in-differences analysis, diagnostic delay rates for suspected head and neck, lung, and upper gastrointestinal cancers increased by 3.4 percentage points in 8 regions in England participating in a population-based MCED screening trial compared with 13 nonparticipating regions during the first 6 months of the trial. These differences persisted through 12 months, after which they were no longer statistically significant.Trials evaluating population-based MCED screening likely to affect demand for limited health care resources may be associated with system-level spillover effects.

Corresponding Author: Sean Mann, MSc, RAND, 1200 S Hayes St, Arlington, VA 22202 (smann@rand.org).

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