Now recommended* in American Cancer Society® (ACS) Guidelines for CRC Screening1
American Cancer Society® recommended* Read more
Patrick Dempsey for Shield*
Actor, Advocate, Screened with Shield

The Shield™ blood test for
Colorectal Cancer (CRC) screening:

Trusted by Doctors.
Powered by Pioneers.

Order Shield
Search “Shield” to order

in Quanum Lab Services Manager or your EHR

or enter test code 18441

Shield is performed and billed through Guardant Health

*Patrick Dempsey is a paid partner of Guardant Health.

*Patrick Dempsey is a paid partner of Guardant Health.

Why Shield?

Guideline
Included

Included in ACS CRC Screening Guidelines1*

Included in the National Comprehensive Cancer Network Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (NCCN Guidelines®) for CRC Screening2†

See inclusion details

Proven
Performance

90%+ adherence3† and 2x+ screening increase4,5‡

100,000+ Shield blood tests have been completed6

Accuracy published in the NEJM7

View performance data

Powered by
Guardant Health

Shield is backed by Guardant's 10+ years of experience and 1+ million blood tests performed6

See what powers Shield

NEJM=New England Journal of Medicine.

*The American Cancer Society recommends blood-based CRC screening tests only to individuals who decline or have not completed a visual examination or stool-based test.

†NCCN makes no warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content, use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way.

‡Data from real-world clinical settings between May 2022 and June 2024 based on Laboratory Developed Test (LDT) usage of Shield, prior to FDA approval.

§Based on 2 studies. Study 1 compared screening completion with ‶usual care″ (fecal immunochemical test [FIT] and colonoscopy), and an ‶intervention″ (usual care + Shield) in over 1000 patients, age 45-75 years, who initially were offered but did not complete FIT in the previous 3 to 9 months at a large, integrated health system. Study 2 compared adherence to standard of care vs Shield use in <250 patients age 45-84 years at 2 primary care clinics affiliated with a large, not-for-profit integrated regional health system. All data based on LDT usage of Shield in 2022 and 2023 (Study 1) and 2024 (Study 2), prior to FDA approval.

Hear from healthcare professionals using Shield to help more patients get screened

“Shield has been a game changer in getting people screened that have various barriers in their path.”

Tom Wieme

Physician Assistant - Certified

Tom is a paid spokesperson of Guardant Health.

More Testimonials

Monnieque Singleton, MD

Shield is now bringing colon cancer screening into the
21st century.

Monnieque Singleton, MD

Family Medicine Specialist

Yulia Koltzova-Rang, MD

I’ve had a lot of success getting patients to screen 
for CRC with Shield... The bottom line is you don’t have an excuse not to give 
your blood.

Yulia Koltzova-Rang, MD

Internal Medicine

Daniel Ripley, MD

People know that it’s important to be screened for CRC, but there are barriers that prevent them from 
doing it.

Daniel Ripley, MD

Family Practice Physician

Shield™ is the only FDA-approved blood test for CRC screening with the following coverage

$0 out-of-pocket

Cost for majority of insured patients*

Medicare Coverage

Shield is a Medicare-covered test**

Follow up Colonoscopy Coverage

CMS covers the cost of a follow up colonoscopy after a positive Shield test for eligible Medicare beneficiary8

VA CCN Coverage

Shield is covered for patients receiving Community Care (authorized by VA)

Shield is not covered for patients under Medicaid (except in Florida and Kentucky), Medicare over 85 years of age, and TRICARE.

* Data on file, Guardant Health, Inc. March 2026. Estimate based on historical patient billing for insured patients. Rate of coverage varies by state, region, and insurance. Limitations and exceptions may apply.

** Eligible Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) patients will have $0 out-of-pocket cost for Shield. Patients with Medicare Advantage may be subject to co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles, depending on their specific plan

CMS=Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Patients not covered by Medicare may have an out-of-pocket cost. See details

$0

out-of-pocket cost
for eligible Medicare Part B patients*

CMS covers the cost of a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive Shield test result

Shield is also covered for patients receiving Community Care, authorized by the Veterans Health Administration, and TRICARE

Eligible Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) patients will have $0 out-of-pocket cost for Shield. Patients with Medicare Advantage may be subject to co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles, depending on their specific plan

CMS=Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

*Medicare Advantage patients may be subject to co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles, depending on their specific plan.

CMS covers the cost of a follow-up colonoscopy after a positive Shield test result

Shield is also covered for patients receiving Community Care, authorized by the Veterans Health Administration, and TRICARE

Eligible Medicare Fee for Service (FFS) patients will have $0 out-of-pocket cost for Shield. Patients with Medicare Advantage may be subject to co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles, depending on their specific plan

CMS=Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

*Medicare Advantage patients may be subject to co-pays, co-insurances, and deductibles, depending on their specific plan.

Ready to offer Shield to your patients?

Start ordering today—or connect with our team to set up your practice.

Get Started NowContact Us

Important Product Information

Intended Use

The Shield™ test is a qualitative, in vitro diagnostic test intended to detect colorectal cancer derived alterations in cell-free DNA from blood collected in the Guardant Shield Blood Collection Kit.
Shield is intended for colorectal cancer screening in individuals at average risk for the disease, age 45 years or older. Patients with a positive result should be followed by colonoscopy. Shield is not a replacement for diagnostic colonoscopy or for surveillance colonoscopy in high-risk individuals. This test is performed at Guardant Health, Inc.

Precaution: Based on data from clinical studies, Shield has limited detection (55%-65%) of Stage I colorectal cancer and does not detect 87% of precancerous lesions. One out of 10 patients with a negative Shield result may have a precancer that would have been detected by a screening colonoscopy. Shield demonstrated high detection of Stages II, III, and IV colorectal cancer.

Limitations and Other Important Information: The Shield test is not indicated for patients that have personal history of colorectal cancer, adenomas, or other related cancers; or those who had a positive result on another colorectal cancer screening method within the last six months, have been diagnosed with a condition associated with high risk for colorectal cancer such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), chronic ulcerative colitis (CUC), Crohn’s disease; or who have a family history of colorectal cancer, or certain hereditary syndromes. Providers should discuss the most appropriate screening test to use with patients depending on their medical history and individual circumstances. Shield may produce a false negative or false positive result. A false negative result may occur when the Shield test does not detect a colorectal tumor signal while a colonoscopy identifies a colorectal cancer. A negative result does not guarantee the absence of colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma, and patients should continue participating in colorectal cancer screening programs at the appropriate guideline-recommended intervals. A false positive result may occur when the Shield test generates a positive result while a colonoscopy will not find colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma.

Please read our Provider Brochure for complete product information about the Shield test including full safety information.

  1. References:
  2. American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer screening guidelines. Accessed May 27, 2026. https://cancer.org/health-care-professionals/american-cancer-society-prevention-early-detection-guidelines/colorectal-cancer-screening-guidelines.html
  3. Referenced with permission from the NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology® (NCCN Guidelines®) for Colorectal Cancer Screening. V.2.2026. © National Comprehensive Cancer Network, Inc. 2026. All rights reserved. Accessed May 27, 2026. To view the most recent and complete version of the guideline, go to NCCN.org.
  4. Graham-Adderton C, Guerra CE, Ngo-Metzger Q, Hoang T, Raymond VM. Implementation of blood-based colorectal cancer screening: real-world adherence and outcomes. Curr Med Res Opin. 2025;41(10):1915-1920. doi:10.1080/03007995.2025.2582257
  5. Coronado GD, Jenkins CL, Shuster E, et al. Blood-based colorectal cancer screening in an integrated health system: a randomised trial of patient adherence. Gut. 2024;73(4):622-628. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2023-330980
  6. Haynes WB Jr, Talari MP, Elmore KA, Jastan RM, Resil JJL. Blood-based colorectal cancer screening: implementation into 2 Appalachian primary care clinics. Am J Prev Med. 2025;69(1):107636. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2025.04.006
  7. Data on file. Guardant Health, Inc.
  8. Chung DC, Gray DM II, Singh H, et al. A cell-free DNA blood-based test for colorectal cancer screening. N Engl J Med. 2024;390(11):973-983. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2304714
  9. Calendar Year (CY) 2025 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule. November 1, 2024. Accessed February 27, 2026. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/calendaryear-cy-2025-medicare-physician-fee-schedule-final-rule