Tearing Down the Wall, Brick-by-Brick

News from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of a breakthrough in cancer screening inspires hope that the once insurmountable wall of a cancer diagnosis is being steadily dismantled by the finest minds in biomedical research. NCI, part of the National Institutes of Health, announced on June 11, 2020 that its “scientists have developed a new test that can help identify people who are likely to develop… the most common form of liver cancer.”

NCI closely investigated the hypothesis that “cancer development is influenced by interactions between viruses and the immune system.” NCI worked from the theory that certain viruses may change the body’s ability to keep cancer cells in check or at bay. Layered with existing screenings tests, NCI researchers used a simple blood test to check for antibodies associated with a patient’s previous exposure to certain viruses that impact liver function (Hepatitis B and C, etc.). This enhanced testing approach identifies people who have the highest risk for liver cancer and therefore should get screened more frequently to detect signs of cancer as early as possible. Early detection, diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer often results in better outcomes and even cures.

Every brick that researchers and physicians smash from the wall of cancer enables more mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, sons, daughters and loved ones to clear that wall and live full lives as survivors. Patients win when physicians can apply breakthroughs, where applicable, to a treatment plan. Join with Patients and Providers United to keep patients and providers, not bureaucratic middlemen with inadequate medical training, at the center of medical decision making.