Abbott has reported new real world evidence that people who completed multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) screening had roughly 54 per cent lower colorectal cancer incidence. Those who were later diagnosed had 45 per cent lower odds of dying from the disease. The findings are part of 13 abstracts on colorectal cancer screening being presented at the American College of Gastroenterology 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, held from 9 to 14 October in Nashville.

Two large real world studies provide the headline results. The first followed a nationwide cohort of more than 2.5 million average risk adults. Researchers found that those who completed mt-sDNA screening had an adjusted colorectal cancer incidence rate about 54 per cent lower than those who did not complete the test, and the association held across sensitivity analyses.

The second was a population based case control study of 5,745 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Completing mt-sDNA screening in the five years before diagnosis was associated with 45 per cent lower odds of death after diagnosis, compared with people who had not completed an mt-sDNA test in that period. The association appeared in every racial and ethnic group examined.

Abbott says the results add to a growing body of evidence on the longer term outcomes of mt-sDNA screening. The approach has been used more than 23 million times since the Cologuard test launched in 2014.

Paul Limburg, M.D., chief medical officer for screening at Abbott Cancer Diagnostics, said screening tests need both high accuracy and good adherence to deliver real public health benefit. He said the research at ACG helps show what happens beyond the performance of a single test, including whether people stay up to date with screening and how different strategies may ultimately affect colorectal cancer cases and deaths. He added that these insights can help improve the screening experience and reach more people with the highest performing option that works for them.

Abbott’s wider presence at the meeting comprises two oral presentations and 11 posters. They cover real world clinical outcomes, sustained screening adherence, comparative effectiveness, test performance, health economics and patient costs. The company says the work supports mt-sDNA screening with Cologuard® and Cologuard Plus® and offers new insight into how screening strategies perform in real world populations.

Abbott abstracts at ACG 2026