Why Are We Still Often Catching Cancer Too Late?

The Silent Nature of Curable Early-Stage Cancer

A major obstacle to catching cancer early is that cancers often do not produce noticeable symptoms until the disease has already spread. For example, pancreatic cancer is often referred to as a "silent killer" because it provides no apparent symptoms in its early stages. The same is true for other cancers, such as, ovarian, liver, kidney, and esophageal; these cancers typically grow silently with little to no clear symptoms. Subsequently, when symptoms begin to appear, the cancer is often quite advanced and even metastatic, meaning it has spread to other parts of the body. The opportunities to effectively treat and cure the cancer have decreased dramatically by this time.

In contrast, cancers found at an early stage, when the disease is still small and localized, are often much easier to treat and, in many cases, can be completely cured. 

Here’s the problem: the cancers that are most curable are also the hardest to detect early, precisely because they don’t cause symptoms. This mismatch, high curability but low detectability, is one of the most serious weaknesses in our current fight against cancer.

What Are the Current Cancer Screening Practices?

In the United States, official cancer screening guidelines help detect several types of cancer before symptoms appear. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) currently recommends routine screening for the following cancers:

• Colorectal Cancer: Colonoscopy, sigmoidoscopy, or stool tests for adults aged 45–75

• Lung Cancer: Low-dose CT scans for current or former heavy smokers aged 50–80

• Breast Cancer: Mammograms for women aged 40–74

• Cervical Cancer: Pap smear and HPV testing for women aged 21–65

• Prostate Cancer: PSA testing, based on individual risk and physician discussion

Unfortunately, these recommended screenings only cover only a small portion of the more than 200 known types of cancer.

Major Cancer Types Still Lacking Screening Tests

Despite the importance of early detection, many common and deadly cancers still do not have recommended screening tests. These include:

• Lung cancer (non-smokers)

• Pancreatic cancer

• Ovarian cancer

• Liver cancer

• Kidney cancer

• Esophageal cancer

• Stomach cancer

• Uterine cancer

• Brain cancer

• Bladder cancer

• Multiple myeloma and leukemia

• Sarcomas

Together, these cancers account for a large portion of annual cancer deaths. Because no routine screening is available, they are often diagnosed late, when symptoms finally appear, by which point treatment options are limited and less effective.

How Can We Fix This Early Detection Shortfall?

• Adopt new technologies capable of detecting most cancers early with a single test

• Strengthen primary prevention

• Improve the implementation of current screening tests

Emerging AI-Powered Early Detection Technologies

Two of the most promising new tools for detecting cancer early are:

1. Multi-Cancer Early Detection (MCED) Tests

These blood-based tests analyze small fragments of circulating tumor ctDNA to look for signs of many different cancer types at once. MCED tests can even indicate where in the body the cancer may be located. Companies like GRAIL are pioneering this technology, and clinical results are promising, showing its specificity and sensitivity.

2. Whole-Body MRI (WB-MRI)

This advanced, safe scan uses magnetic imaging to examine the entire body for tumors, without the use of radiation. When paired with artificial intelligence (AI), it becomes even more powerful, able to detect small tumors that traditional scans may miss. It offers a non-invasive, comprehensive way to scan for cancers all at once.

When MCED tests and whole-body MRI are used together, they offer a synergistic approach to early cancer detection: MCED can find molecular signs of cancer in the blood, while WB-MRI can visualize suspicious lesions throughout the whole body. AI integration enhances the accuracy and efficiency of both methods. This combination creates a powerful system that can detect most types of cancer early when treatments are most effective and often cured with surgery.

The Call for Timely Adoption of AI-Powered Systemic Early Detection

With no cure in sight, the most effective strategy to defeat cancer lies in better early detection and prevention, which is explored in the recent books by Dr. Stanley SY Chen:

•                The Path To Defeat Cancer: Revolutionary AI-Powered Early Detection link: Cutting-edge systemic early cancer detection throughout the whole body MRI and blood MCED test.