UChicago: "Only 14% of Cancer Diagnoses Occur from Recommended Screenings."
The University of Chicago Finds that Only 14% of Cancer Diagnoses are a Result of Standard Recommended Screenings from Doctors.
I wanted to share with you something big: the University of Chicago just published a study concluding that only 14% of cancers in the US are diagnosed after a recommended screening! (link is to an article from CNN)
That means that the vast, vast majority of people (nearly half of Americans) are only finding out about their cancers when they already have symptoms in most cases.
... Despite a critical need for early cancer detection, current guidelines offer screening only for five cancer types -- lung, breast, colon, prostate and cervical cancers -- which are responsible for 29% of all cancers in the US...
...the percentage of diagnoses are so abysmal due to a combination of subpar screening modalities available, **poor risk-stratification** of patients, and often a low buy-in on the utility of screening from patients.
By contrast, nearly 60% of deadly cancers that do not have a recommended screening test (standard of care), and account for nearly 70% of cancer-related deaths.
Without adequate screening modalities and individualized risk-stratification, most patients end up seeking medical help only with they become symptomatic and typically advanced cancer presentation -- in order words, when it's too late.
What Can We Do to Combat These Alarming Numbers?
1. More Testing, and Screening
The easiest is a more widespread awareness and testing. For example, 61% of early breast cancers are detected by a combination of MRI and Mammogram screening, while merely 3% of lung cancers are picked up on CTs and chest x-rays.
Since nearly a third of lung cancers now develop in non-smokers and appear to be driven by *pollution and environmental risks*, extending screening CTs to this population will be life-saving.
2. Personalizing Cancer Screening Based on *PERSONAL* Risk.
The keyword here is “personal.” Please refer to our Cancer Risk Score page ( www.pmccdenver.com/crs ) as first quick step for assessing one's personal risk.
In sum, we do have extensive data related to both cancer protective (factors that mitigate or eliminate risk) and predisposing factors that are based on one's medical, genetic, environmental and lifestyle history.
A compilation of these factors can group patients into low, intermediate or high risk and thus can be a better basis and guide for screening recommendations.
3. Novel, Cutting-edge Screening Modalities.
What we make sure to do at our practice, is integrate clinical and new, cutting-edge, screening technologies (from the last 3-4 years) to help with early cancer detection.
We have learned that many cancers don't just simply *magically* appear, but typically follow a steady, often slow growing phase during which they may shed their DNA and cellular "trash" into the bloodstream, urine or sputum.
We have been able to detect these early signatures with more and more accuracy by following the way that cancers develop and behave, and as such, have a 14x-fold higher success of early cancer detection compared to average success rates. Make sure you partner with a practice/doctor who does the same.
Please make this your wake up call to make 2023 about being proactive with your health so that your long-term health will not be marred by the comforts of not taking action in the present, but rather eliminating the detriments of the future.
If you're stuck on what to do for yourself or maybe your partner, book time with me so that I can help guide you on what's best: https://book.pmccdenver.com/book
Or — find out your personal cancer risk score at pmccdenver.com/crs
Dr. Mark L.
Board Certified: Oncology, Internal Medicine, Hematology