FDA approves blood test to detect colon cancer

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Shield, a blood test by Guardant Health, offering a new way to screen for colon cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer deaths when numbers for men and women are combined.

With the approval, the test moves closer to gaining coverage under the country’s Medicare insurance program. It will be available as early as next week. It isn’t a replacement for colonoscopies but provides a noninvasive approach to screening.

The blood test’s approval comes at a time when an increasing number of Americans have been developing colon cancer and at younger ages.