Cambridge Healthtech’s Inaugural
Enhanced Screening for Early Detection of Single Cancers
Advances and Performance of Assays: Prospects and Clinical Validation
August 24-25, 2026
The rate of successful development of biomarker tests for early detection of individual cancers has been agonizingly slow, with the majority of cancers having no recommended screening test. Far too many patients are only diagnosed once symptoms become apparent, often by Stage 3 or 4, when prognosis is much poorer. There is hope for improvement, as promising results for a number of common and some less common types of cancer are making real progress. Some of these tests may complement or eventually replace current recommended screens, while for other cancers these tests would offer the only potential for early diagnosis. Focusing on a single type of cancer allows for obtaining biomarkers from different biosources (blood, urine, breath) and different biomarker classes. Single cancer assays may also benefit from more narrow training sets and likely smaller trials, reduced timelines and lower cost for clinical validation compared to MCED validation. In some cases, these developments are intended to remain as single cancer assays, while others are more of a stepping-stone to multi-cancer early detection (MCED) efforts. At the same time the potential for individual cancer tests may be limited based on the timing and performance of MCEDs.
Coverage will include, but is not limited to:
- Updates of the development and validation of specific individual cancer assays
- Assays for early detection of breast, prostate, ovarian, lung, pancreatic, CRC, and other cancers
- Using EHRs and AI for predicting patients at higher risk for specific cancers to enable earlier screening
- Health economics for single cancer tests and cost per cancer patient identified
- Different biomarker classes (methylated DNA, mRNA miRNA, proteins, metabolites, and multiomic)
- Better differentiation between aggressive and benign cases
- Clinical trial design considerations for validation of performance
- Experience with implementation, consumer education and follow-up
The deadline for priority consideration is February 2, 2026.
All proposals are subject to review by session chairpersons and/or the Scientific Advisory Committee to ensure the overall quality of the conference program. Additionally, as per Cambridge Healthtech’s policy, a select number of vendors and consultants who provide products and services will be offered opportunities for podium presentation slots based on a variety of Corporate Sponsorships.
Opportunities for Participation: