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When it comes to cancer, waiting for symptoms may soon be old news.
Telehealth company Hims & Hers began offering a blood test this week that screens for a wide range of cancers before warning signs appear, including those without routine screenings.
“When cancer is identified earlier, people often have more options and a better chance for positive outcomes,” Dr. Pat Carroll, the company’s chief medical officer, told The Post. “It’s an important step toward supporting longer, healthier lives.”
The test, called Galleri, requires just one blood draw. From that single sample, it scans for tiny DNA fragments shed by more than 50 different types of cancer.
“If a cancer signal is detected, the test can predict the tissue or organ system where that signal is most likely originating from,” Carroll explained.
“That guidance is important because it helps inform next steps with a healthcare provider, rather than simply flagging something abnormal without direction.”
Hims & Hers is the latest telehealth company to offer Galleri, which has been available through other providers since 2021.
Starting this week, subscribers to the company’s $350 lab testing service can add the prescription-only test for an extra $700 — about 25% off Galleri’s list price.
“This is a tool for customers seeking proactive care,” Carroll said.
“Because more than 1 in 3 people will develop cancer in their lifetime, people from all backgrounds can benefit from additional tools that can help monitor their health before symptoms arise,” he continued.
Like many “laboratory-developed tests,” Galleri hasn’t yet been cleared by the FDA as safe and effective. However, its manufacturer, Grail, submitted it for formal review last week.
That submission includes results from a major clinical trial published in 2025. In the study, which followed nearly 36,000 adults over age 50, the test detected 40.4% of cancer cases.
More than half of those cancers were caught early — in Stage 1 or 2 — and about three-quarters were cancers that don’t have standard screening tests, including those affecting the pancreas, liver, head and neck.
That’s important because many cancers grow quietly, without symptoms or routine ways to spot them early on. In fact, 57% of cancers don’t have recommended screenings, yet they account for 70% of cancer deaths in the US.
“That gap can contribute to delayed diagnoses and care journeys that are often more complex than they need to be,” Carroll said.
Still, the test isn’t foolproof.
Out of 216 patients flagged by Galleri as having cancer signals in the trial, nearly 62% were diagnosed with cancer within a year — but 38% turned out to be false alarms.
Those false positives are one reason cancer screening guidelines are somewhat conservative. Research shows unnecessary screenings can lead to overdiagnosis, excessive treatment, high costs — and a lot of stress and anxiety for patients.
Carroll stressed Galleri isn’t meant to diagnose cancer, only to screen for warning signs.
“A cancer signal detected result doesn’t mean a customer has cancer, but it does indicate the need for further evaluation,” he said.
If a signal pops up, Carroll said a provider will reach out quickly — typically within 15 hours — to walk the customer through the results.
“Following that conversation, we can support customers in downloading the results and sharing them with their preferred in-person healthcare provider, who may suggest further testing and imaging,” Carroll said.
“If a customer doesn’t have a healthcare provider, they’ll be able to contact a Galleri patient advocate.”
Hims & Hers’ own release on Galleri notes that “false positive and false negative results can occur.”
That uncertainty has some experts concerned that a clean result could offer false peace of mind — leading people to brush off symptoms or skip routine screenings altogether.
“A lot of people, they might not be so savvy about interpreting the test,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, who reviewed the trial data on his Substack, told The Washington Post.
“They get the result ‘negative, no cancer detected.’ Why would they chase that down further?”
Carroll emphasized that Galleri — which is meant to be taken annually — is not a replacement for standard screenings like mammograms or colonoscopies.
“We encourage customers to think of this as a tool to use in addition to their regular screenings,” he said.
“It represents a meaningful advancement in how we can look for cancer signals earlier and more comprehensively than traditional screening alone.”
English (US)