What if we could detect more cancers early? Science and good policy can make it happen | Opinion

Cancer has been a factor in our lives for so many generations that we have a tendency to just accept its presence as a dark cloud. We have all lost, or knew someone who has lost, a family member, friend or neighbor to this disease.

According to American Cancer Society projections, more than 3,000 Idahoans will become cancer victims over the course of this year alone. Too many of those 3,000 will have their cancer diagnosed after symptoms appear, often in late stages of the disease.

But what if it didn’t have to be this way? What if medical science could reduce the number of cancer deaths by making it increasingly possible for the disease to be detected in its earliest stages when it’s much easier to treat?

Recently, the Idaho Senior Living Council joined leading Idaho cancer advocacy organizations to recognize U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, for his sponsorship of a bill that would make it possible for Medicare to cover a groundbreaking new cancer detection tool that has the potential to save countless lives. It is critical to Idaho seniors that Sen. Crapo and his partners succeed in getting this vital legislation — the Medicare Multi-Cancer Early Detection Screening Coverage Act (S. 2085) — passed into law.

Here’s why. Right now, one of the reasons cancer’s burden is so persistently high is because so many cases are detected too late for treatment to be most effective. Today, screenings are available for just five types of cancer — breast, cervical, colorectal, lung and prostate. But the sad truth is that 70% of cancer deaths in this country are from types of the disease for which there are no recommended screening tools. Until now.

Researchers have developed a blood test that can detect dozens of types of cancer from a blood draw. This is a game-changer in so many ways. It will allow doctors to supplement existing screening methods with these tests, known as multi-cancer early detection tests that can screen for multiple cancers at a time. These tests are easily administered and can be brought to rural areas that don’t have easy access to advanced health care facilities. Idaho, in fact, ranks very poorly nationally in terms of the number of our citizens who receive recommended screenings, likely due to challenges of people accessing them in rural areas. Widespread availability of MCED tests would make a profound difference for the people of our state.

Crapo’s legislation is so important because Medicare is handcuffed by a process that could take a decade or more before breakthrough innovations like MCEDs can be made accessible to Medicare beneficiaries, the age group most prone to receive a cancer diagnosis. Sen. Crapo’s bill would cut through that red tape and create a pathway for swift coverage, aligning Medicare with how the private market can cover proven cancer detection tools.

We don’t have to accept cancer as a permanent fixture in our communities. Science is making it possible to tilt the scales toward greater health and longer lives. We hope Congress will follow Sen. Crapo’s lead, follow the science, and ensure that this technology helps those who need it most.