The $950 cancer blood test is here: 5 things to consider before ordering yours

Grail’s $950 Galleri blood test found more cancers in a 140,000-person UK study but didn’t meaningfully cut late‑stage diagnoses — many of the cancers it picked up were still Stage 3–4 and it missed many others.
The test is highly specific (false positives <0.5%), so a positive result is taken seriously and prompts follow‑up, but a negative result isn’t reassuring — hundreds diagnosed within a year after a negative test.
It boosted early detection for some hard‑to‑screen cancers (ovarian doubled, myeloma +118%, esophagus +92%), yet it’s unclear whether using it will actually save lives; it’s available by prescription but not FDA‑approved.