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Bringing Early Cancer Detection To The Masses

Justin Chen Li is CEO at Helio Health Inc., an AI-based cancer detection company.

Cancer is one of the deadliest diseases the world has ever seen. Even as modern technology and treatments advance, cancer cases show no sign of slowing down; and while survival rates have improved for some, cancer remains the second most common cause of death in the U.S. As new treatments and therapies are developed, many are targeted at late-stage cancer patients and only increase life span by a few months or years. Furthermore, risk factors such as obesity, drinking and poor diet have continued to trend upwards, leading to more cases of cancer.

What many people don’t realize is that many cancers are relatively treatable if caught in early stages. When cancer is caught before it metastasizes to other organs, there are more curative treatment options available, which can lead to a far higher five-year survival rate, as is the case with lung cancer and liver cancer. Despite the well documented benefits of early detection, far too many cancers are still being caught in late stages.

If we can solve the early detection problem, millions of lives can be saved. However, two major obstacles that stand in our way are 1) patients lack the urgency, motivation and/or ability to get tested and 2) healthcare providers have insufficient tools and infrastructure to support patients.

1. Patients lack the urgency, motivation and/or ability to get tested.

The majority of Americans take a “don’t fix it unless it’s broken” approach to their health. Instead of following preventative medical guidelines and doctors’ recommendations, patients often fall out of touch with their care team and out of tune with their health. When serious symptoms surface, patients finally seek medical advice, usually leading to a physician confirming late-stage disease. For example, the American Association Study of Liver Disease recommends that high-risk patients with liver cirrhosis or chronic hepatitis B receive ultrasounds every six months. Studies show that in practice, a mere 26% of these patients adhere to this recommendation for various reasons.

The one silver lining of the global Covid-19 pandemic is that people have finally accepted testing as part of everyday life. Covid testing is often required for travel, events and even for our kids to go to school. If this newfound tolerance for testing can expand to other types of diseases such as cancer, we may just be able to push the statistics of cancer survival in our favor.

Still, more education is needed to convince patients to take preventative health measures. The price of healthcare, amongst other deterrents, only exacerbates the issue. A 2018 survey showed that of the 40% of respondents who skipped a recommended medical test or treatment, 44% did so because of the cost.

2. Healthcare providers have insufficient tools and infrastructure to support patients.

Healthcare providers are our first and last line of defense against cancer. They are responsible for educating patients and equipping them with access to the best knowledge, tests and therapies the field has to offer. However, providers are hamstrung by a lack of effective tools. For instance, image-based testing modalities for cancer detection, such as CT scan, MRI and ultrasound, are inaccurate, expensive and inconvenient for patients, impacting adherence rates. Additionally, underserved communities, including rural areas, struggle with access to these imaging tests.

New Frontiers In Healthtech

To address this unmet need, a new class of cancer-testing companies are emerging with ambitions to bring an end to dismal adherence and high cancer mortality rates. These companies are developing products often termed “liquid biopsies,” since these tests run on liquid material such as blood, sputum and urine. These companies promise their tests will not only be more accurate, but also more accessible and palatable for patients, leading to higher adherence rates. (Full disclosure: My company counts itself among this group.)

This same liquid biopsy technology could also be applied to monitor heart transplants and detect diabetes complications. It’s an exciting vision that needs the full support of the medical community before it can be realized. Since liquid biopsy tests look at a number of predictive data points, including the distribution of free-floating DNA in the bloodstream and protein biomarkers, big data and artificial intelligence are needed to build powerful predictive algorithms to detect cancer. Liquid biopsy companies have brought together Silicon Valley computer scientists with biological experts to create this new category of tests, which holds great promise.

Companies at the leading edge in AI and machine learning should consider that much of their expertise can be applied to biology. But success in this arena requires both biochemical knowledge and the ability to train predictive algorithms with large data sets. If your tech company is interested in this field, seek partnerships with biotech companies. Perhaps one day soon, we can work together to detect the majority of cancers in early stages and reverse the proliferation of this deadly disease.


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