The company is collaborating with Guardant Health to make Guardant’s Shield test available through Quest’s nationwide network of provider clients and patient service centers.
Quest Diagnostics and Guardant Health announced a strategic collaboration to broaden access to Guardant’s Shield blood-based colorectal cancer screening test through Quest’s US network.
Under the multi-year agreement, Quest’s provider clients will be able to order Shield directly through their existing Quest accounts and electronic health record systems. The test is expected to be available for physician order through Quest in the first quarter of 2026.
Shield received full US Food and Drug Administration approval as a primary screening option for colorectal cancer in average-risk adults aged 45 and older. The non-invasive test detects alterations associated with colorectal cancer through a blood draw.
“Shield makes cancer screening pleasant and convenient, through just a simple blood draw. Our strategic collaboration with Quest represents a pivotal step in accelerating access to this groundbreaking technology, enabling primary care physicians across the country to offer their patients the lifesaving benefits of early detection,” says AmirAli Talasaz, Guardant Health co-CEO, in a release.
Quest provided healthcare connectivity solutions to approximately 650,000 clinician and hospital accounts last year. Through the partnership, Quest’s provider clients will also be able to refer patients to Quest’s 2,000 patient service centers and 6,000 in-office phlebotomists for blood draws nationwide.
Quest’s national commercial sales team will proactively educate primary care physicians and obstetricians and gynecologists about the test to accelerate awareness among ordering providers.
Addressing Screening Gaps
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the US, with a 91% five-year survival rate when caught in early stages. However, one out of three eligible adults in the US—over 50 million people—do not complete recommended screening, partly because they find available options like colonoscopy and stool tests unpleasant or inconvenient.
“This collaboration reinforces our commitment to expanding our oncology offering to include cutting-edge screening technology for diseases, like colorectal cancer, that can often be prevented when caught early,” says Jim Davis, chairman, CEO and president of Quest Diagnostics, in a release. “A blood-based test for colorectal cancer has the potential to reduce several barriers that prevent wider population screening.”
The Shield test is intended for individuals at average risk for colorectal cancer and is not intended for high-risk individuals. A positive Shield result raises concern for the presence of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma, and patients should be referred for colonoscopy evaluation.
Shield is covered by Medicare and the Veterans Affairs Community Care Network and is commercially available across the US.
Photo caption: Shield
Photo credit: Guardant Health
