An open letter to the administration and congress about cancer screening
Improvements in cancer prevention and screening have averted more deaths than treatment advances over the past 45 years.
By Guardant Health
December 18, 2024
Screening for and preventing cancer has saved almost 5 million lives between 1975 and 2020.
That’s 80 percent of the total number of lives saved thanks to the relative contributions of prevention, screening and treatment advances for breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate cancers.
However, 1 in 3 people in the United States who should get tested for colorectal cancer remain unscreened for colorectal cancer.
Simply put — not enough people are getting screened, and research has shown 75 percent of people who die of colon cancer were not up to date in recommended screening.
When access to preventive services became free in 2010, even more of us got screened, especially those of us who had a hard time affording care. Other common barriers to receiving recommended preventive care include difficulty taking time off work, inability to find a ride or even just living somewhere that made it tough to get a colonoscopy, mammogram, low dose CT scan or pap smear.
In 2016, we embarked on a moonshot aimed at achieving the goal of preventing more than 4 million cancer deaths by 2047.
Unfortunately, the covid years were tough, and a lot of us missed recommended screenings — but we can catch up if we work together with good planning.
Starting in 2020, more than 1,800 organizations began working toward a goal of increasing screening rates for colorectal cancer to 80 percent and higher in communities across the nation. To achieve this 80% in Every Community goal, we simply need more screening options.
A new type of cancer screening blood test was approved by the FDA almost six months ago that can be done almost anywhere at almost any time and requires no special prep.
Tests like this can help close national screening gaps.
However, there are millions of us who cannot get this test because insurers will not cover it.
Adoption of new screening technologies is being needlessly delayed because the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), the congressionally mandated body tasked with updating clinical guidelines for preventive care, is chronically underfunded and lacks the resources to rapidly respond to changes in science.
Over the past several years, a coalition of over 60 patient groups and other stakeholders has worked toward the goal of increasing access to novel cancer screening technologies once they are reviewed and approved by the FDA.
Now. Today. It is your turn to act.
Americans like us are waiting on you to unlock cancer screening innovation.
Ensure that the USPSTF has the resources and ability to rapidly review FDA-approved screening technologies and provide timely updates to screening recommendations that impact all eligible Americans.
Our lives are dependent on it. Learn more at shieldcancerscreen.com.
The content is paid for and supplied by advertiser. The Washington Post was not involved in the creation of this content.
Content From
