Freenome reported clinical validation results for an updated version of its SimpleScreen CRC blood test for colorectal cancer, including performance against previously collected colonoscopy-linked samples. The study met primary and secondary endpoints in a large, multi-site dataset from the prospective PREEMPT CRC study, enrolling nearly 49,000 asymptomatic average-risk adults ages 45 to 85. Freenome said the updated test achieved 80.4% overall sensitivity and 90% specificity. Sensitivity varied by lesion type, including 52% for stage I cancer, 100% for stage II, 97.3% for stage III, and 100% for stage IV. Compared with the prior version, overall sensitivity dipped slightly, while sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions increased. The company also estimated clinical impact improvements, claiming the updated version would yield more life-years gained and more cases of cancer prevented versus the earlier test. Stakeholder reaction was mixed, reflecting both the promise of improved precancer detection and the sensitivity tradeoffs by disease stage. Freenome is also working on a third version of the assay, with analysts describing plans to increase target coverage to drive higher sensitivity for advanced precancerous lesions.