Test capable of detecting 50 types of cancer arrives in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Community Health Network and San-Francisco-based health care company GRAIL announced a partnership on Tuesday to offer GRAIL’s Galleri test to patients in central Indiana. 

Galleri is a multicancer, early-detection blood test that can detect a staggering 50 different types of cancers.

News 8 spoke with Dr. Natra Amakkanavar, oncologist at Community Health Network, who explained how it works. “When we run this blood test we are looking for abnormal genetic material, which is circulating in the blood. That genetic material is coming out from the cancer and tells us ‘Oh, there is a chance this is coming from cancer and the patient may have cancer.’ And based on what those genetic material changes are, in a lot of cases, we can pinpoint what organ that cancer is coming from.” 

Amakkanavar says the test will initially be for anyone at an increased risk for cancer as well as people over 50. However, down the line, it could be expanded to a much larger population.

The Galleri test is available at select Community Health Network practices, but they plan to roll it out to all primary care facilities as quickly as possible.