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Nabavizadeh, Nima

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9152-8262

Mayo Clinic

Oregon Health & Science University

Citations 5

Safety and performance results from PATHFINDER 2, a registrational study of a multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test in an intended-use population.
Giridhar, Karthik, McDonnell, Charles H. , Kurbegov, Dax, Matrana, Marc , Gadgeel, Shirish M., Kim, Raymond, Stipec, Gretchen, Oeffinger, Kevin C., Demeure, Michael J. , Lillard, James W., Kaltman, Rebecca , Tran, Jennifer, Roth, Alan , TAHHAN, SAMI, Richards, Donald A., Lopatin, Rita, Marquez, Celine, Nabavizadeh, Nima , Gadgeel, Shirish M. , Oeffinger, Kevin C. , Lillard, James W., Tahhan, Sami, Poklepovic, Andrew , Richards, D., McCusker, Margaret

Journal of Clinical Oncology | June 3, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 17_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.17_suppl.lba10509 Get It

LBA10509 Background: The MCED test (Galleri) detects a shared cancer signal from cell-free DNA in blood and predicts a cancer signal origin (CSO) to guide diagnostic (dx) workup. PF2 (NCT05155605) is a large, prospective, multicenter, interventional study of the MCED test’s performance and safety in a diverse US intended-use population. Methods: PF2 enrolled participants aged ≥50y without clinical suspicion of cancer or cancer diagnosis/treatment within 3y of enrollment. Primary objectives were MCED performance and safety in terms of dx testing triggered by a positive (cancer signal detected) MCED test result. Participants with a positive MCED test underwent targeted dx workup guided by the predicted CSO(s). Participant-reported anxiety was assessed with the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Results: PF2 enrolled 35,878 participants; 32,007 with a 12m cancer assessment were analyzable for performance. Of 287 (0.9%) with a positive MCED test, 173 were diagnosed with cancer within 12m, for a cancer detection rate of 0.5% (95% CI 0.5-0.6%) and positive predictive value of 60.3% (54.5-65.8%). Specificity was 99.6% (99.6-99.7%). 12m episode sensitivity was 69.8% (62.8-76.0%) in a prespecified subgroup of 12 cancers responsible for ⅔ of US cancer deaths, 66.2% (55.1-75.8%) in a subgroup of 6 aggressive cancers with low 5y survival, and 39.3% (34.9-44.0%) across all cancers. Overall CSO prediction accuracy was 91.3% (86.2-94.7%) across all cancers. The MCED test detected 151 new primary and 22 recurrent cancers; additional cancers detected by screening were those with USPSTF A/B (n=31) and C (n=60) recommended screening. Of 151 MCED-detected new primaries, 80 (53.0%) were clinical stage I-II; 107 (70.9%) were stage I-III. Of 80 MCED-detected stage I-II cancers, 71.2% had no USPSTF A/B screening recommendation. Of 35,335 participants analyzable for safety, 213 (0.6%) had invasive procedure(s) to evaluate a positive MCED test result, of which 90% were nonsurgical and 1.8x more likely for participants with vs without cancer diagnosis. Most (87.6%) had a CSO-guided dx evaluation. There were 5 study-related adverse events during the time of dx workup; none were serious. Anxiety temporarily increased for participants with a positive MCED test and cancer diagnosed, and returned to baseline by 12m. Of participants with a positive MCED test, median time from test result to dx resolution was 48d (95% CI 43-56). Few participants (7/63 [11.1%]) had cancer found by dx PET/CT after a targeted dx workup that did not reveal cancer. Conclusion: The MCED test demonstrated robust performance with a favorable safety profile. When MCED testing was added to USPSTF A/B screening, 6.5x more cancers were detected by screening, most at early stages. The diverse, representative PF2 participant population supports the generalizability of these findings to the US intended-use population. Clinical trial information: NCT05155605 .
CAMPERR: A multicenter, prospective, observational study to evaluate a cfDNA-based genome-wide methylation enrichment assay for multicancer early detection (MCED), identification of molecular residual disease, and relapse prognostication.
Idos, Gregory, Holmes, Faith L., Boardman, Lisa A., Mazzone, Peter J. , Nabavizadeh, Nima , Lammers, Phil, Ahluwalia, M., Padmanabhan, Arvinda, Burkeen, Christopher Grant, Nash, Charles H., Clyburn-Ipock, Virginia L., Okeke, Ifeoma Roseline, Byrnes, Abigail B., Silvestri, Gerard A., Anderson, Michelle H., Landers, Kaytlin, Provance, Jeremy , Sosa, Eduardo V., Allen, Brian, Rini, Brian I., Idos, Gregory , Boardman, Lisa A., Lammers, Philip E. , Ahluwalia, Manmeet S. , Burkeen, Christopher G. , Silvestri, Gerard A. , Allen, Brian, Rini, Brian I.

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 28, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 16_suppl | Pages: No page available

10.1200/jco.2026.44.16_suppl.tps10628 Get It

TPS10628 Background: Despite advances in cancer treatment, a lack of established population-level cancer screening strategies for early detection across cancer types contributes to cancer-related mortality. Emerging MCED liquid biopsy tests represent a screening approach with potential to enable detection of multiple malignancies at earlier stages in the disease process. We previously showed that an initial classifier based on a genome-wide methylome enrichment platform detected 12 cancer types, including early-stage, low-shedding tumors (Park et al. AACR 2023. Abs 1030). However, clinical performance of the platform has not been evaluated prospectively. Thus, the CAMPERR study (NCT05366881) was designed to train and validate a cell-free methylated DNA immunoprecipitation and high throughput sequencing (cfMeDIP-seq)-based test for detection and differentiation of 20 pre-selected cancer types, representing 93% of annual cancer incidence and 88% of annual cancer deaths. Longitudinal follow-up for a subset of participants with lung cancer will enable training and validation for MRD-based recurrence prognostication. Methods: This case-control study is enrolling participants with 20 different pre-specified cancer types (n=2400) and those without known cancer (n=3900). Eligible participants are ≥40 years of age and not receiving treatment for cancer at the time of enrollment or taking any demethylating/hypomethylating agents. Cases include individuals with newly diagnosed (≤120 days), untreated cancer or recurrence of a cancer originally diagnosed >5 years ago. Cancers of interest are stage I-IV bladder, brain, breast, cervical, colorectal, endometrial, esophageal, gastric, head and neck, hepatobiliary, leukemia, lung, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, ovarian, pancreatic, prostate, renal, sarcoma, and thyroid. Participants with stage I-III lung cancer will have clinical follow-up and blood draws after completion of first-line treatment, every 3 mo for the first year thereafter, and every 6 mo for an additional 2 years. Eligible control participants have not been diagnosed with invasive cancer in the last 5 years and will have clinical follow-up ≥12 mo from enrollment to evaluate cancer status. Liquid biopsy results will not be returned to clinicians or participants. The primary objective is cancer detection. Secondary objectives include detection of specific cancer types, identification of the tissue of origin, and prognostication of clinical outcomes (eg, recurrence-free survival, overall survival). CAMPERR is currently enrolling at 15 sites. As of December 3, 2025, 2108 of 2400 cancer cases have been enrolled, including prostate (n=225), lung (n=216), colorectal (n=211), breast (n=193), and pancreatic (n=192); controls are fully enrolled. Clinical trial information: NCT05366881 .
Overall Survival Among Patients With Hepatocellular Carcinoma Treated With External Beam Radiation Therapy: Individual Patient Data Outcomes From a Multinational Cohort
Yanagihara, Ted K. , Dawson, Laura A., Yu, Jeong Il, Lawrence, Theodore S. , Kim, T S, Yan, Michael, Iwata, Hiromitsu , Nabavizadeh, Nima , Apisarnthanarax, Smith , Dunne, Emma M., Lock, Michael , Chuong, Michael D., Chiang, Chi Leung, Katoh, Norio , Sioshansi, Shirin, Numata, Kazushi, Liu, Howard , Wakatsuki, Masaru , Chen, YiXing, Pollom, Erqi L., Gkika, Eleni , Dutta, Debnarayan , Hajj, Carla , Hallemeier, Christopher L. , Feldman, Aharon, Romero, Alejandra Méndèz , Tan, Xianming , Tepper, Joel E. , Torres, Ferràn , Bergman, Alanah M., Crane, Christopher, Cuneo, Kyle C., Grindrod, Natalie, Grosu, Anca-Ligia, Far, R. El, Funaoka, Akihiro, Gilbert, Marissa, Itasaka, Satoshi , Lee, Sung Uk , Mases, Joel , Ogino, Hiroyuki , Qu, Vera , Park, Hee Chul, Rahmani, Ramtin, Shing, Lee Ann, Stanescu, Teodor, Thonglert, Kanokphorn , Toom, Wilhelm den , Uchinami, Yusuke , Zeng, Zhaochong, Moon, Andrew M , Yanagihara, Ted K , Lawrence, Theodore S , Kim, Tae Hyun , Iwata, Hiromitsu , Nabavizadeh, Nima , Apisarnthanarax, Smith , Lock, Michael I , Chuong, Michael , Chiang, Chi Leung , Scorsetti, Marta , Katoh, Norio , Liu, Howard Yu-Hao , Iwamoto, Hideki , Pollom, Erqi Liu , Gkika, Eleni , Jabbour, Salma K , Munoz-Schuffenegger, Pablo , Dutta, Debnarayan , Hajj, Carla , Ueno, Masayuki , Hallemeier, Christopher Leigh , Feldman, Aharon M , Méndèz Romero, Alejandra , Tan, Xianming , Tepper, Joel E , Torres, Ferran , Reig, Maria , Dawson, Laura A. , Yu, Jeong Il , Dunne, Emma Maria , Chuong, Michael D. , Numata, Kazushi , Mollà, Meritxell , Crane, Christopher H. , Cuneo, Kyle Clifford , Grindrod, Natalie , Franzese, Ciro , Gilbert, Marissa, Lee, Yoo Young , Lee, Ann‐Shing, Shirono, Tomotake , Stanescu, Teo

Journal of Clinical Oncology | May 15, 2026 | Volume: 44 | Issue: 19 | Pages: 1784-1797

10.1200/jco-25-02399 Get It

PURPOSE External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) has gained delayed acceptance as a recommended first-line treatment modality for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), given limited evidence that it improves overall survival (OS). We analyzed individual patient data (IPD) from an international cohort to assess OS among patients with HCC treated with EBRT. METHODS We performed a systematic review of publications that assessed EBRT, met prespecified technical standards for HCC, and reported OS (search date December 15, 2022). Corresponding authors were invited to submit IPD for the study. We performed Kaplan-Meier survival analyses to determine OS and restricted mean survival time (RMST) stratified by Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage and treatment status (ie, treatment-naïve and experienced). We performed random effects Cox proportional hazards modeling to assess clinical characteristics associated with OS. RESULTS Data were provided on 4,913 patients treated with EBRT with a median follow-up time of 5.0 years. The median OS was 6.8 years (95% CI, 5.7 to 8.7) for BCLC-0 and 4.6 years (95% CI, 4.1 to 5.1) for BCLC-A. Among treatment-naïve patients, the median OS was not reached (95% CI, 8.6 to not reached) for BCLC-0 and was 5.4 years (95% CI, 4.5 to 6.7) for BCLC-A. In multivariable models, more advanced BCLC stage, higher tumor burden, worse performance status, and Child-Pugh class B or C were associated with a higher risk of mortality. Ablative radiation dose and more recent year of treatment were associated with a reduced risk of death. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this study represents the largest multinational cohort of patients with HCC treated with EBRT. OS outcomes with EBRT for very early- and early-stage HCC appear to be comparable with resection, thermal ablation, and other ablative locoregional therapies. These data support the inclusion of EBRT in the BCLC HCC clinical decision-making process.
Abstract C145: Baseline participant characteristics from PATHFINDER 2, a prospective interventional study of a multi-cancer early detection test in a population setting
Nabavizadeh, Nima , Kurbegov, Dax, McDonnell, Charles H. , Lillard, James W., Matrana, Marc , Roth, Alan, Johnston, Andrea, Tahhan, Sami, Owera, Rami, Kansal, Anuraag, Lopatin, Margarita , Gadgeel, Shirish M. , Margolis, Matthew L. , Kansal, Anuraag, McCusker, Margaret , Giridhar, Karthik V.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention | September 18, 2025 | Volume: 34 | Issue: 9_Supplement | Pages: C145-C145

10.1158/1538-7755.disp25-c145 Get It

Abstract A blood-based multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test has demonstrated feasibility as a screening tool in large-scale clinical trials. The PATHFINDER 2 (PF2) study (NCT05155605) evaluates safety and performance of the MCED test in a diverse intended-use population. To gauge generalizability of study results, we assessed participant (ppt) baseline characteristics vs general US population data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). PF2, a prospective, multicenter, interventional study, enrolled ppts aged ≥50 y from diverse clinical settings in North America. Enrollment targets for sex and race/ethnicity were established from the 2019 American Community Survey (US Census Bureau). Recruitment strategies were implemented to maximize enrollment for groups historically underrepresented in clinical studies. Exclusion criteria included clinical suspicion of cancer or cancer diagnosis/treatment within 3 y. Data on baseline characteristics and key cancer risk factors were collected at enrollment. We compared the PF2 study population to a nationally representative sample of US adults aged ≥50 y from 2017-2020 NHANES data. NHANES data were weighted using complex, multistage probability sampling to generate a nationally representative sample. There were 35,878 ppts enrolled in PF2; 35,307 clinically eligible and evaluable ppts were included in this analysis. Mean age was 64 y for both PF2 and NHANES; 56.2% were females in PF2 vs 53.6% (95% CI 52.0-55.3%) in NHANES. Race/ethnicity distribution for PF2 vs NHANES was 7.4 vs 11.0% (8.9-13.1%) Hispanic, 74.6 vs 69.7% (65.0-74.5%) non-Hispanic (NH) White, 8.6 vs 10.3% (7.6-13.1%) NH Black, and 5.8 vs 5.1% (3.5-6.8%) NH Asian. In terms of lifestyle characteristics for PF2 vs NHANES, 58.9 vs 29.2% (25.8-32.7%) had at least a bachelor’s degree, 74.8 vs 63.8% (60.6-67.0%) were married/living with a partner, 69.3 vs 53.8% (50.9-56.7%) had never smoked, 66.5 vs 70.4% (68.0-72.8%) were overweight/obese, and 24.2 vs 28.4% (26.4-30.3%) reported never using alcohol. PF2 enrolled a diverse ppt population that is reasonably reflective of the demographics of the US population aged ≥50 y. As is typical for clinical trials, a higher percentage of PF2 vs NHANES ppts reported lifestyle characteristics associated with better health. As the study population largely reflects the MCED test intended-use population, safety and performance results from PF2 are expected to reflect real-world clinical experience. Citation Format: Shirish Gadgeel, Nima Nabavizadeh, Dax Kurbegov, Charles McDonnell, III, James W. Lillard, Jr., Marc Matrana, Alan Roth, Andrea Johnston, Sami Tahhan, Rami Owera, Matthew Margolis, Anuraag Kansal, Margarita Lopatin, Margaret McCusker, Karthik V. Giridhar. Baseline participant characteristics from PATHFINDER 2, a prospective interventional study of a multi-cancer early detection test in a population setting [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 18th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities; 2025 Sep 18-21; Baltimore, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2025;34(9 Suppl):Abstract nr C145.
Abstract 4784: PATHFINDER 2: A prospective study to evaluate safety and performance of a multi-cancer early detection test in a population setting
Demeure, Michael J. , Kim, Raymond H. , Kurbegov, Dax, Lopatin, Margarita , Matthews, Roland, Matrana, Marc , McDonnell, Charles H. , Richards, Donald , Stipec, Gretchen, Nabavizadeh, Nima , McCusker, Margaret , Kim, Raymond H , Giridhar, Karthik V. , Chen, Justin A., Gadgeel, Shirish M. , Rybicki, Benjamin A.

Cancer Research | March 22, 2024 | Volume: 84 | Issue: 6_Supplement | Pages: 4784-4784

10.1158/1538-7445.am2024-4784 Get It

Abstract Background: Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests are being established as a novel approach to screen for multiple cancer types with one test. A blood-based MCED test using cell-free DNA targeted methylation patterns to detect a shared cancer signal and predict a cancer signal origin (CSO) has demonstrated feasibility. An initial return of results study (PATHFINDER; NCT04241796) reported performance of a refined version of the MCED test, including a 43.1% positive predictive value (PPV), 98.5% negative predictive value (NPV), 99.5% specificity, and 88.0% CSO accuracy. To build on this work, the PATHFINDER 2 study (NCT05155605) will evaluate safety and performance of the MCED test in larger, more diverse populations. Methods: PATHFINDER 2 is a prospective, multicenter, interventional study. Participants ≥50 years of age will be enrolled, with specific targets to improve diversity (age, sex, race/ethnicity) and few exclusions due to comorbid conditions. Exclusion criteria include current clinical suspicion of cancer or recent cancer/treatment (within 3 years). Participants will undergo blood draw for MCED testing, followed by return of results (cancer signal detection and CSO) to the investigator and diagnostic evaluations if a cancer signal is detected. A confirmatory PET-CT scan will be performed when CSO-directed workups do not result in a cancer diagnosis. Participants will be followed for approximately 3 years. Primary endpoints include 1) MCED test safety in terms of diagnostic testing triggered by a positive result (number/type of procedures and adverse events) and 2) test performance (PPV, NPV, specificity, sensitivity, CSO accuracy, cancer detection rate and number needed to screen). Secondary endpoints include participant reported outcomes (eg, anxiety), utilization of guideline-recommended cancer screening, and cancer detection rate of confirmatory PET-CT, amongst others. The study plans to enroll approximately 35,000 participants across North America. Sites were selected based on geographic location, catchment area demographics, and practice setting (academic vs non-academic). Enrollment targets for age, sex and race/ethnicity (White [non-Hispanic] 72%; Hispanic or Latino 11%; African American or Black 11%; Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 6%; American Indian/Alaska Native 1%) were derived from US Census data. Strategies to promote diverse recruitment include translation of participant-facing documents across multiple languages, participant and healthcare provider educational material, and site-led community outreach campaigns. MCED testing is an emerging, potentially paradigm-changing strategy in cancer screening, and PATHFINDER 2 is designed to characterize the safety, performance, and clinical implementation of the MCED test as a screening tool in a broad and representative population. Citation Format: Karthik V. Giridhar, Michael J. Demeure, Raymond H. Kim, Justin A. Chen, Shirish Gadgeel, Dax Kurbegov, Margarita Lopatin, Roland Matthews, Marc Matrana, Charles McDonnell, Donald Richards, Benjamin Rybicki, Gretchen Stipec, Nima Nabavizadeh. PATHFINDER 2: A prospective study to evaluate safety and performance of a multi-cancer early detection test in a population setting [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2024; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2024 Apr 5-10; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2024;84(6_Suppl):Abstract nr 4784.