SPOT-MAS 10 Multi-Cancer Early Detection

This is an addition to standard screening, not a replacement for any part of it. Mammography, cervical screening and colorectal screening all remain indicated on their usual schedules whatever this test reports.

The case for a multi-cancer test is strongest in the rows with no population screening programme, which is 6 of the 10 above. It is weakest for breast and colorectal, where an effective standard test already exists and skipping it in favour of a blood draw would be the wrong trade. That is the honest way to read this chart before spending RM1,900.

All five figures come from the prospective validation study in asymptomatic adults: Nguyen LHD, et al. BMC Med. 2025;23:90. doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03929-y. We publish the positive predictive value because it is the figure that describes what actually happens to someone who tests positive, and quoting a 99.71% specificity without it makes the test look more decisive than the evidence supports. Higher sensitivity figures circulate for this assay from earlier case-control work, where participants were already known to have cancer. The prospective number above is the one that applies to a person booking a screening test.

How It Works

1

Message us

Your town and your age, and what prompted the enquiry.

2

We confirm the centre

Your closest of 35, its hours and an open slot.

3

One 10ml draw

No fasting, no imaging, under 15 minutes.

4

A doctor explains it

Report in about 14 working days, then the e-consultation to plan any next step.

Collected at 35 partner centres nationwide and processed by an accredited specialty laboratory under the assay provider’s programme. Every report is read by a doctor registered with the Malaysian Medical Council before the e-consultation. This is a laboratory-developed assay: results are specific to this assay and are not interchangeable with another provider’s multi-cancer test.

SPOT-MAS reads circulating tumour DNA by methylation profile and fragment size and combines those signals with machine-learning models. The figures this page publishes come from the prospective validation in asymptomatic adults (Nguyen LHD, et al. BMC Med. 2025;23:90. doi.org/10.1186/s12916-025-03929-y), which followed an earlier interim report from the same longitudinal cohort (Nguyen LHD, et al. Cancer Invest. 2023;41(3):232 to 248. doi.org/10.1080/07357907.2023.2173773). The wider field behaves the same way: the largest independent validation of a targeted methylation multi-cancer test reported high specificity with sensitivity that rises steeply with cancer stage (Klein EA, et al. Ann Oncol. 2021;32(9):1167 to 1177. doi.org/10.1016/j.annonc.2021.05.806). Two things follow, and both are on this page rather than in a footnote. Early-stage disease sheds less DNA into blood, so the cancers this class of test finds most reliably are not always the ones it would be most valuable to find early. And no multi-cancer early detection assay has yet reported a mortality benefit from a randomised trial, which is the evidence standard that mammography and colorectal screening are held to. This is an additional signal, not a settled screening programme.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is multi cancer early detection and what does SPOT-MAS 10 look for?

It is a blood test that looks for circulating tumour DNA, fragments of DNA shed into the bloodstream, and reads them by methylation pattern and fragment size to flag signals associated with 10 cancer types: breast, lung, colorectal, stomach, liver and biliary tract, ovary, pancreas, oesophagus, head and neck, and endometrium. One 10ml draw, no fasting, and a doctor e-consultation on the report is included in the RM1,900.

How accurate is it?

In the prospective study of asymptomatic adults it reported sensitivity of 70.83%, specificity of 99.71%, negative predictive value of 99.92% and positive predictive value of 39.53%. That last figure is the one to understand: of every 10 people who test positive, fewer than 4 have cancer, and all 10 go into further investigation. Higher sensitivity numbers circulate for this assay from earlier case-control work in people already known to have cancer, and those do not describe what a screening customer faces.

Can it replace my mammogram or colonoscopy?

No, and booking it instead of those would be a poor trade. Mammography, cervical screening and colorectal screening have population-level evidence behind them. This test’s strongest argument is the six cancers on the chart that have no population screening programme at all, such as pancreas, ovary, oesophagus and stomach. Treat it as an addition to standard screening, never a substitute.

What happens if the result is positive?

The included e-consultation plans the next step, which will normally be imaging directed at the predicted organ, and often a specialist referral. Two things are worth knowing beforehand: the predicted tissue of origin is correct about half the time, and most positives turn out not to be cancer. Anyone booking should be prepared, financially and otherwise, for an investigation that may find nothing.

Does a negative result mean I do not have cancer?

No. It means no signal was detected, which is reassuring but not conclusive. Early-stage tumours shed very little DNA into the bloodstream, so a small early cancer is exactly the kind this class of test can miss. Continue with your usual screening on its usual schedule.

Who should consider this test?

Adults who want signal-level coverage of cancers that have no routine screening test, who are already up to date on the screening that does have evidence behind it, and who would be able to act on a positive result. It is not the right first purchase for somebody who has never had a basic screening, and we will say so if you ask.

How long do results take?

About 14 working days from the draw. The e-consultation is scheduled once the report is ready. If the result requires urgent attention we contact you rather than waiting for the scheduled call.

Where can I get it done?

At any of 35 collection centres across all 13 Malaysian states plus Kuala Lumpur and Labuan, including Petaling Jaya, Klang, Cheras, Johor Bahru, George Town, Ipoh, Kuantan, Seremban, Melaka, Kota Bharu, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, for the same RM1,900.

This is a signal-detection test, a positive result is not a finding of cancer, and a normal result does not rule out all disease. Screening is not a substitute for clinical assessment of an active symptom: if you are currently unwell or have a symptom that concerns you, please see a doctor rather than waiting about 14 working days for a result. This test does not replace mammography, cervical screening, colorectal screening or any other established screening programme, and it does not image an organ or biopsy anything. Circulating tumour DNA signals, like tumour markers generally, can be raised for benign reasons and can be absent in the presence of disease. In the prospective validation study the positive predictive value was 39.53%, meaning most positive results were not cancer, and every positive result leads to further investigation. No multi-cancer early detection assay has yet demonstrated a reduction in cancer mortality in a randomised controlled trial. A licensed doctor reviews every report and will advise whether further investigation is needed. Individual results vary and this is a laboratory-developed assay whose results are not comparable with another provider’s test. Samples are processed by an accredited specialty laboratory. Please disclose all medication and supplements, existing medical conditions, any previous cancer diagnosis or treatment, pregnancy or possible pregnancy and recent illness before your appointment.