Modern cancer screening in Berlin scientifically considered.

A liquid biopsy is a blood test, not a tissue sample. As tumour cells break down they release tiny DNA fragments into the blood, known as cell-free tumour DNA. The test looks for these fragments and for characteristic methylation patterns that indicate which tissue a signal came from. For you it means a normal blood draw, with no radiation and no invasive procedure. The approach is interesting because a single test can pick up signals from several cancer types at once, including some for which no established screening examination exists. At YEARS we use the method exclusively under medical supervision, embedded in history-taking, the laboratory picture and imaging where needed.

The honest answer: more reliable than nothing, but considerably less certain than the marketing around such tests often suggests. The detection rate depends heavily on tumour stage. In advanced stages it is high; in early stages it is much lower, simply because less tumour DNA circulates in the blood. It also varies substantially between cancer types. An unremarkable result therefore does not rule out cancer and must not be read as an all-clear. False positives also occur and trigger follow-up diagnostics that can be a burden. These methods are young and robust long-term data on actual survival benefit is still outstanding. That is precisely why we interpret every result medically.

No, and that is not legal caution but a medically decisive point. Colonoscopy, mammography, skin cancer screening and gynaecological or urological screening are the better-evidenced methods for their respective cancer types. They find precursor lesions that release no tumour DNA into the blood at all, and with colonoscopy polyps can be removed in the same appointment. No blood test can do that. The liquid biopsy complements these methods where no screening currently exists, for example for pancreatic, ovarian or oesophageal cancer. Using the blood test as a substitute for colonoscopy makes your screening worse, not better. We recommend both alongside each other.

An abnormal signal is an initial suspicion, not a diagnosis. First you discuss the finding in person with your physician at YEARS, who places it in the context of your history, your other biomarkers and the functional diagnostics. Because modern methods indicate the likely tissue of origin, further investigation can be planned in a targeted way rather than searching the whole body. Depending on the signal, imaging, an organ-specific examination or a tissue sample follows, which provides definitive clarity. We coordinate referral to oncologists or the appropriate specialists. Important for context: a proportion of abnormal findings are not confirmed on investigation. We explain that before the test, not afterwards.

The liquid biopsy is included from the Evolve program upwards, which costs 7,600 euros, and likewise in Ultimate at 16,900 euros. It is not part of the Core program at 1,900 euros, because Core is designed as a medically guided baseline check. In both programs the test does not stand alone but sits alongside the full-body MRI, extended laboratory diagnostics and the medical strategy consultation where all findings are brought together. That combination is the point: a cancer signal in the blood only becomes meaningful once it is weighed against imaging, conventional tumour markers and your family history. Which program suits your situation is something we clarify in the free intro call.