Multi-cancer detection tests offer a new paradigm in cancer screening — the use of a single test to simultaneously screen for many cancers — but they raise important ethical questions for their development, evaluation and possible implementation.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
$32.99 / 30 days
cancel any time
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 12 print issues and online access
$259.00 per year
only $21.58 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on SpringerLink
- Instant access to the full article PDF.
USD 39.95
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
References
Office for National Statistics. Mortality Statistics - Underlying Cause, Sex, and Age https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/datasets/mortsa (date accessed 12 January 2023).
Carr, D. J. & Welch, H. G. JAMA Intern. Med. 183, 1144–1151 (2023).
UK NSC. UK NSC Ethical Framework for Screening https://go.nature.com/48A1vhO (10 August 2021)
Health Information and Quality Authority. Review of International Ethics Frameworks Used in Policy-Making in the Context of Screening https://go.nature.com/4omREAP (30 November 2011).
Marlow, L. A. V., Schmeising-Barnes, N. & Waller, J. Br. J Cancer 133, 1544–1553 (2025).
Andermann, A., Blancquaert, I., Beauchamp, S. & Déry, V. Bull. World Health Organ 86, 317–319 (2008).
Wilson, J. M. G. & Jungner, G. Principles and Practices of Screening for Disease (WHO, 1968).
Callender, T., Payne, K., Pashayan, N. & Mackie, A. BMJ 388, e081098 (2025).
MCED Consortium. Evaluating the Clinical Utility of Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Tests: Envisioning A Path Forward https://go.nature.com/4okSHkt (September 2023).
Kumar, V. et al. Ann. Intern. Med. 168, 161–169 (2018).
Schrag, D. et al. Lancet 402, 1251–1260 (2023).
Chan, S. W. et al. BMJ 357, j2224 (2017).
Schmeising-Barnes, N., Waller, J. & Marlow, L. A. V. Soc. Sci. Med. 347, 116762 (2024).
Minasian, L. M. et al. J. Natl Cancer Inst. 115, 250–257 (2023).
Halpern, M. T. et al. Ann. Intern. Med. 177, 1170–1178 (2024).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
T.C. is a member of the multi-cancer detection task group and the Research and Methodology Group of the UK National Screening Committee. A.M. is employed by the UK National Screening Committee. A.M.S. is a member of both the UK National Screening Committee as well as the multi-cancer detection task group of the UK National Screening Committee. The opinions are those of the authors and not the UK National Screening Committee, or the UK Department of Health and Social Care.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Callender, T., Mackie, A. & Slowther, AM. The ethics of multi-cancer screening. Nat Med (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04111-w
Published:
Version of record:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-04111-w
