Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States. In 2015, cancer killed 595,930 people, which is equivalent to 22% of all deaths in the United States, as indicated by the CDC. This number continues to rise and it was assessed that before the end of 2017, cancer will have claimed more than 600,000 lives last year. According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, $ 87.8 billion was spent in the US in 2014 on cancer-related healthcare services. Genetic testing is accessible to help patients fight the war against disease. Early detection of cancer helps assign the appropriate treatment and increase survival rates. Early detection tests are accessible for various types of malignancies. Genetic testing for predisposition and early detection has positively adjusted survival rates for various types of cancer growths by up to 35%, according to the National Institutes of Health. Genetic cancer screening tests offer multiple positive results, such as increased survival rates and possible reduction in healthcare costs for both patients and providers.
What is genetic screening?
Genetic testing is a type of medical test that identifies changes in genes, chromosomes, or proteins. The finding discovered during a genetic test can affirm or rule out a possible genetic condition or help determine the likelihood that a person will develop or pass on a genetic disorder. More than 1,000 genetic tests are currently in use.
Improving the results
The essential goal is the distinctive screening of the highest-risk cancer populations and the early-growing cancer screening of patients to decrease mortality. An adequate early screening can modify mortality rates, as well as offer the possibility of prolonging and offering a better quality of life to the patient. For example, breast cancer is one of the leading causes of death among women with malignancy. Insights from the National Cancer Institute have shown that women who underwent a standard mammogram reduced their risk of death by between 15% and 20%. Screening consistency is generally low, which means that the number of people who should be tested for specific growths is not ideal. For example, in 2014, the CDC showed that only 65.7% of patients over the age of 50 were screened for colon malignancy, while 27.3% had been screened. Researchers at the University of Michigan found that people at risk who were screened for colon cancer could prevent 90% of a cancer diagnosis. According to the CDC, 9 out of 10 patients who discovered colon growth through a normal screening test were still alive 5 years after initial diagnosis. Additionally, people with a malignancy who participated in a program of counter actions, such as lifestyle adjustments and quit smoking, could receive reduced out-of-pocket costs and lower health care benefit premiums. In some cases, early detection and treatment before metastasis can also positively alter treatment and outcomes.
New genetic screening tests are coming
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, led another strategy for identifying malignancies known as target error correction sequencing. It is used to recognize even the smallest levels of circular tumor DNA, which is normally discovered in those with early-stage growths. In the exam, 200 samples were taken from people with colorectal, breast, ovarian and lung cancers, distinguishing 62% of stage I and II tumors. What’s also worth mentioning is that no false positives were found in 44 healthy people who were tested.
Different biomarkers have been recognized for a large group of growths, including breast, colorectal, lung, ovarian, and prostate. In 2016, 15,000 patients with 50 unique tumor types underwent liquid biopsy screening, resulting in noticeable changes in 6 different types of biomarkers, for example, the epidermal development factor receptor reported in late-order lung growths and the B-Raf proto-oncogene, which has been associated with an expanded appearance of melanoma, with a specificity of 94% to 100% of comparative tissue biopsies. This could take into account the potential focused on treatments targeting gene-specific malignancies to be tailored and treatment options for those that are not yet qualified. Liquid biopsies may help decrease the risk of disease recurrence by finding circulating DNA after colon growth surgery. In 2016, researchers discovered that by reviewing tumor DNA metrics from the blood of stage II colon cancer patients, they could predetermine which patients would be most at risk of recurrence of any persistent residual circulating tumor DNA. People who had circulating tumor DNA after surgery will likely undergo a repeat diagnosis, people who then underwent liquid genetic biopsies after cancer removal would be better equipped to evaluate improved postoperative treatments. So a liquid biopsy can be an affordable, non-invasive way to help recognize people who might benefit from postoperative chemotherapy.