On October 15, 2026 Guardant Health, Inc. (Nasdaq: GH), a leading precision oncology company, reported the company and its research collaborators presented new data showing the critical role of blood-based testing in increasing overall colorectal cancer (CRC) screening and follow-up colonoscopy adherence at the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) 2026 Annual Meeting in Nashville, Tennessee.
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A modeling study looking at individuals 45 to 75 over a lifetime projected the health outcomes of blood-based testing compared to other non-invasive tests using real-world evidence for follow-up colonoscopy adherence, showing that blood-based screening may increase rather than lower the need for colonoscopy by bringing more patients into the screening pathway. With longitudinal test adherence and real-world follow-up colonoscopy adherence (FU-CY), blood-based screening increased the number of colonoscopies (679 vs. 113 and 326) and also averted more CRC deaths (12 vs. 6 and 9) compared to FIT and mt-sDNA testing per 1,000 simulated individuals during their lifetime.
Building off findings from Guardant Health’s 2025 study in Appalachia, another key study looked at clinical implementation of Shield in two rural health clinics in South Carolina which demonstrated a 99% real-world adherence rate, well above average screening adherence for overall CRC testing which ranges from 28-71%12. The notable findings reiterate the impact of blood-based tests in increasing CRC screening participation and improving outcomes, particularly for medically-underserved communities.
"Today’s research continues to reinforce the data we’ve seen across Guardant’s robust real-world evidence: blood-based screening meaningfully closes gaps in colorectal cancer screening participation with a significant lift in underserved communities that face some of the most persistent access barriers," said Sam Asgarian, Guardant Health’s VP of Clinical Affairs. "For the first time, we’ve been able to correlate the impact of real-world follow-up colonoscopies and screening adherence with the modeling studies of the Shield blood test. We’re proud to present this compelling research with our collaborators at ACG and to continue to demonstrate Shield’s role as a clinically meaningful alternative to traditional screening methods."
Shield was purpose-built to close screening gaps in population health, as the most-clinically validated blood test in market and the first blood test to receive FDA approval as a primary screening option for CRC in average-risk adults 45 and older. With more than 200,000 tests performed in real-world settings, Shield is proven to significantly increase overall CRC screening completion for patients due for CRC screening across practice and health system settings, demonstrating over 90% screening adherence.3
The full abstracts for Guardant Health and a list of all abstracts presented at the ACG Annual Meeting can be found here.
About Shield
Shield is a methylation partitioning cell-free DNA (mp-cfDNA) non-invasive, blood-based screening test that detects alterations associated with colorectal cancer in the blood. It is intended as a screening test for individuals at average risk for the disease, age 45 or older, and is not intended for individuals at high risk for colorectal cancer. The Shield test can be considered in a manner similar to guideline-recommended non-invasive CRC screening options and can be completed during any healthcare visit. A positive Shield result raises concern for the presence of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma and the patient should be referred for colonoscopy evaluation.
(Press release, Guardant Health, OCT 15, 2026, View Source [SID1234673502])